The Golden Staff of Ybonzo
by lisa602
Summary: Jim is captain of his own ship, the White Whale, and he and his crew are sent on a dangerous mission to retrieve the Lost Golden Staff of Ybonzo. Invited along on the voyage is Lady Kayley of the Knights of the Round Table, some of her friends, as well as Sinbad and some of his crew members. There are dangers along the ways and most importantly near their destiny. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Jim Hawkins ate his eggs at the breakfast table, reading the newspaper as he ate. He was tall and had dark brown hair that was about ear length. Today was going to be an interesting day, it seemed. There was some exciting news. "Hey Mom!" he shouted.

"What is it?" she asked forlornly, running quickly into the kitchen. She was a little shorter than him and had her old, brown cooking dress with the white apron tied around her. There was the white bonnet sitting on her head

"Why is it that when I want to say something to you, you seem to think it's going to be bad?" he asked, eying her. She seemed really tired today.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just thought from the urgency in your voice-"

"I'm fine," he said reassuringly, "I just wanted to tell you the news of the only lady knight of the round table saving the townspeople of Rudenberg from a fire."

"Really?" she asked in shock. "Let me see," she said, grabbing the newspaper and reading through the article, "My, my, the lady knight stopped a fire caused on purpose. That's new."

"I thought you'd enjoy it," he said, adding, "There are not just men doing a lot of things around here."

Sarah put her hands on her hips, "_James Hawkins_! Had I _not_ known of women doing things like this, I would've dismissed the fact that Amelia was captain of a ship _you_ used to be a member on!" She picked up an old rag and started whacking him with it.

Jim laughed, holding his hands up defensively. "Sorry, sorry," he said, holding up the sign meaning peace.

Amelia had been the captain of the ship he went on to a place called Treasure Planet that was founded by Captain Flint, a pirate who kept all of his loot there. Back to the point, not all inhabitants around on the earth were human, Amelia was a very agile cat. Her husband Delbert a smart dog, it amazed Jim how they got attracted to each other.

"You can go ahead and tell everyone." Jim said, standing up.

"Who does everyone include?" she asked inquisitively.

"Well, B.E.N., Delbert and Amelia, and Nani, Lilo, Stitch, David, Jumba, and Pleakley." Jim said, then leaving the room.

There was about two hours until his mother opened the inn for probably another busy day as it had always been ever since she opened it seven years ago, Jim went upstairs to the roof. He remembered when it used to be a really old, shabby building that had been burned down by mad pirates who were looking for the map.

Yes, it was called a map, though it didn't seem to be one at first sight. It had been a small orb with strange markings on it that only Jim had been able to open. His life changed the day a dying pilot tried getting away from some pirates with it, but he was really weak when he reached Jim's house/home and asked him to keep the map safe before he finally died.

Jim had decided to try to find Treasure Planet, a dream he'd had since he was little and read the books about Captain Flint under the covers at nighttime. When Jim was three, he'd thought how amazing it was that Captain Flint could appear out of nowhere to loot ships and take them to his secret planet.

Delbert had gone with him on a ship, so Jim could say he was there when he'd actually fallen in love with Captain Amelia. Now that they've been married for some time, they have four kids that were already seven years old.

On the ship to Treasure Planet, Jim had to meet with the ship's cook to work for him since everyone must work to keep the ship running, and cooking was the only thing he really knew how to do that would be useful. The cook was John Silver, known as Silver by Jim, whom he secretly believed was the cyborg that the dying pilot was trying to get away from. Jim's accusations were correct when they reached the planet where Captain Flint's treasure was said to be and he overheard him talking to all the crew members. They had all truly been under his hard-metal hand.

They'd made up. Even after Silver kidnapped him, almost leaving him behind when the planet of treasure was about to self-destruct, Silver and Jim still became friends. He hadn't seen him since that trip, though.

When Silver thought of escaping without saying goodbye after having saved themselves from being destroyed from the destruction of the planet, Jim went to say goodbye knowing he had to go so he wouldn't be taken to jail.

Jim had gone to the Interstellar Academy and become a space cadet with a recommendation from Amelia, spending time with his mom at the inn when there weren't any missions. He had gotten a lot of adventures to do after that for the last couple years and was really good at his work, having been promoted all the way up to captain of a ship as well. His ship was the White Whale.

Jim remembered what he had been like before the trip for Treasure Planet. His father left the family when Jim was in his pre-teens and never came back. It had been a hard time for Jim, and he'd only been fifteen when he went to Treasure Planet. Now he was twenty two and going into space. He sometimes had the free time to do solar surfing, his pastime ever since his pre-teen years. His solar surfing is what saved everyone in the ship from dying on Treasure Planet, having to change the screen to the space station on the moon where they would land.

Jim threw rocks off the side of the roof, thinking about the things that wouldn't have happened had he not been on the roof sulking. His thoughts were disturbed when he threw one rock off and it flew back into his hand. "What are you doing, Morph?" he asked quietly, tickling him a bit to get him out of this shape. Morph went into his normal pink blob with a face shape and looked at Jim with a bright smile.

Jim laughed softly; Morph was his one memory of Silver. Silver had owned Morph before he gave him to Jim when he left. Both knew how much Morph would miss Silver, but knew he would have a better time with Jim. It worked so far on all the missions Jim took Morph with him, which would be every time.

Jim could distinctly hear B.E.N shout out, "What!? The lady knight did what!?" He chuckled softly. B.E.N could be a pretty predictable robot. Jim found him, on the planet where Flint's treasure was supposed to be, in a strange forest where it was easy to see that he had no memory. This had been because a piece for the back of his head had been ripped off, later found out to be in Captain Flint's dead hand. B.E.N used to belong to Captain Flint until the captain decided he didn't want anybody who knew of his treasure to remember it, or stay alive it seemed.

The last time he was on the roof, throwing rocks, a ship came with the dying pilot in it. Had he not been on the roof, he wouldn't have gotten saved the map or gone to Treasure Planet. Seven years ago…

"Jim!"

The voice made him jump, and, whirling around, he sighed in relief at the sight of Nani standing there. "Hey, you scared me."

"Sorry," she said with a giggle, "I just came up here, because of the news you found. You should see Lilo's joy with the lady knight. She just now told me that she wants to be a knight."

"Hmm," Jim chuckles, "Wish I could've seen that. At least I don't have to hear of her asking to become a space cadet anymore."

"Well, she's at that stage where she's thinking about dream jobs-"

"_Seven_?"

"Oh please, you were _four_ when you thought of Treasure Planet!" Nani pushed him gently.

"I know, I know… huh… we _both _thought of Treasure Planet when we were little."

"Only because you showed it to me."

"Only because my dad showed it to me."

This brought the two to silence for a couple of minutes. Jim's father had left him and his mother about ten years ago. Jim had had trouble with his life since then until he was fifteen and went to Treasure Planet where everything changed.

Nani and her little sister, Lilo, had been living with Jim and his mother for six years because their parents died in a car accident. Since then, they'd added some more friends, known as Stitch, Jumba, and Pleakley. The three, along with Lilo, had been experiment hunting, since Stitch was an experiment as well, for Stitch's cousins. And Stitch was number 626. Jim stayed out of it.

"Nani!" Lilo yelled.

Both Jim and Nani clambered to their feet and ran to where her voice came, each of them pushing the other.

"She called me!" Nani shouted.

"She calls you, then she calls me!" Jim said, and he was right.

"Jim!"

Nani growled.

When they reached Lilo's room, they saw Jumba and Pleakley shouting again, with Stitch going back and forth, trying to bite each of them so they would stop. Yet they acted like he wasn't there.

"Guys," Jim said, making the two stop to look at him. They always stopped at his voice nowadays considering they were also members of the crew he was captain of, and so he was in charge of stopping any fights (which was almost every day). "What are you fighting about now?"

"Over the thought of a lady knight," Jumba answered, "Pleakley wants to think that she's a _man in disguise_!"

Jim laughed, and looked at a shocked Pleakley. "Just because _you_ dress up like a woman to blend in with the men and women, doesn't mean that the lady knight is."

"H-h-hey! Looks like you were wrong!" Jumba shouted, poking Pleakley.

Jim left the room, shaking his head, with Stitch on one shoulder and Morph on the other as a mini-Stitch. He chuckled softly.


	2. Chapter 2

Kayley woke up, feeling fresh and awake. She'd been a knight for about one and a half years already. It was easy for her to want to think that every morning. She just couldn't stop thinking it through her head as it'd been all she wanted ever since she was a little girl.

Knights weren't supposed to have partners as they all worked together, her friend Garrett used to be a knight and decided on not being one about a year afterwards when he was almost killed. They had needed to be partners because he was blind.

She and Garrett met after Ruber planned on using her mother for gaining access into the castle of King Arthur, but only once he had Excalibur, the magic sword of King Arthur. He'd saved her from Ruber's men and begrudgingly agreed to help her find Excalibur. They went through quite a lot together and even had to go through the land of dragons where they met Devon and Cornwall.

These two dragons were made into one, one body with two heads, they were teased by other dragons because they were smaller, couldn't fly, and couldn't breathe fire. Neither could agree with one another for more than a second, it had been nonstop arguing. The entire trip.

Once they'd found Excalibur, Kayley was captured by Ruber who potioned the sword to his hand like a weapon, just as he did to all his men (including a chicken named Bladebeak who was combined with an ax). Devon and Cornwall found out that they could fly and breath fire only when they could agree with each other and have been able to do so ever since. Now they don't argue so much.

Kayley and Garrett were able to trick Ruber into pushing Excalibur into the stone where it was kept before King Arthur took it out as a young peasant boy. The one who could take out Excalibur was known as the one who was the true king of Camelot, and he'd been doing well the past forty some years he's been in power.

Ruber was disintegrated from the impact of putting the magical sword into the stone, and everything turned normal. Devon and Cornwall would've been able to be separate, but thought the best of what they were before, so they were still pretty much one dragon. Excalibur was truly a magical sword of wonder. Hopefully no knight will go crazy for power as Ruber did. He killed her father in the process of one of his angry rants. He, having been a knight as well, fought Ruber for thinking about taking King Arthur's place.

The memory of her father shook her once again, as it always did ever since he was murdered for working under the rule of King Arthur, protecting him. She missed her father, and she knew of how proud he would be of her from what she'd become some time ago.

She heard something clank downstairs and sat up to go check on what it was. She still lived on her mother's farm as she may be the age of twenty, but girls normally married at fifteen. Kayley may not have been a knight for long, but she knew everything about the job from the stories her father told her when she was younger.

Kayley reached the kitchen and could hardly suppress a giggle, she burst out laughing. Garrett was wrestling a really soapy pan from Devon's mouth while Cornwall was urging his brother on in the silly competition.

Devon and Cornwall looked up, and Devon let go of the pan to the floor when they saw it was her. They looked fairly embarrassed, making her laughs even harder. Garrett now had the pan and shrugged his shoulders, seemingly knowing it was Kayley.

"What are you guys doing?" she asked as her laughs finally came to a stop.

Devon's mouth bubbled with soap as he said, "Just a little tug-a-war."

"How about instead of using a soapy pan, you use the rope in the barn?" she asked, keeping her hand over her mouth to keep from showing her smile.

"Good idea," Cornwall decided, washing out Devon's mouth before walking out to the barn.

Garrett put the pan down in the sink walked up to where Kayley was, using his stick to get to her as he was blind. She remembered when they had a mutual attraction to each other, and they broke it off two years ago, but they were still close friends.

"They were actually washing the dishes before I came in. They weren't doing a very good job as far as I could tell, dropping things, so I tried taking the pans and they were tugging them away." Garrett said.

"Something fun to do while I was sleeping, or just cleaning the dishes for me?" she asked jokingly, picking up the soapy pan to clean the residue from the floor off.

"More like making sure they _don't_ destroy your dishes." Garrett said.

She laughed.

Kayley went to fetch the eggs. She still did some work around the house, it was the only thing she could do as she was off from knight work. She just realized some time ago that Ruber was only the beginning of the knight work she and Garrett would do, and even though they'd done a lot of things in the past one and a half years, nothing compared with fighting Ruber.

Hooves sounded as the chickens clucked, but they weren't from the meadows where the horses were, yet from the gravel on the road.

Kayley quickly put the eggs she could tell weren't with baby chicks within in the bucket and walked out of the chicken coop. Placing the bucket by the entrance to the house, she walked down the road while brushing off as many feathers as possible.

As they came into view, Kayley could see they were knights from the round table. It looked like they were carrying important information, for the one in front carried a letter. She noted it was King Arthur by the way the other knights surrounded him protectively and he wore the red surcoat over his armor.

Once he reached her, Arthur stepped down from his horse and took off his helmet. He was a man in his early thirties with dirty blonde hair and a small goatee. From his facial expression, Kayley could tell that it wasn't good.

"My lord, what's wrong?" she asked, as he handed the note to her and she took it.

"We've gotten word from the space cadets that they need a knight to go on a ship with them to planet called Durragon. We decided for you to go before they told us what it was for." he told her with anger and sorrow.

"What do they want me for?" Kayley asked with confusion.

He pointed to the letter she held, his face reddening with anger, so she broke the seal and opened it. Inside was a neatly written letter that said:

Lady Knight of the Round Table,

Thank you for agreeing to help us on this quest, we have sent for a crew who would be willing to go. It will be difficult because what we're trying to find is the lost Golden Staff of Ybonzo. This is a very dangerous mission and we hope you still agree to do it after hearing the circumstances:

You must report all findings to the captain, as you are not in charge

Do anything the captain tells you to do

Do not challenge other crew members, they are to be working and are not allowed to touch swords or guns while working

No distracting crew members from their jobs though you want something to do, ask the captain for busy work if you want it

Sincerely, the Association of Flying Ships

Kayley looked up from the letter at King Arthur who was trying to calm his anger down, she'd never heard of him being this angry.

"What do they want me for?" she asked, having never gone into space before. She never thought she would either, it never crossed her mind as a wish.

"They felt that with your skills on magical objects, as with Excalibur, you could have some ideas on how to get the staff. Not only that, but you can take care of yourself, so the captain 'doesn't have to worry about how you're doing.'" King Arthur was very annoyed, that much was clear.

After some thought, she said, "I accept." This surprised the King, she could see that.


	3. Chapter 3

"I've got mail!" Sarah shouted from the front door, coming in with a big pile.

"Wow," he said, watching as she placed every single one on the table. There were bills, letters from family members, from Amelia and Delbert… and one for Jim from the Association of Flying Ships. He picked it up, "Did they say when they would next send a letter?"

"No, they didn't, this must mean it's a mission." Sarah said with a smile, and everyone in the house piled in to hear the letter.

He eagerly opened up the letter and read it aloud:

Captain Hawkins,

We must inform you of another mission. You are not required to do it as it is very dangerous, but if you agree, we'll be deeply pleased. So far none of the other captains have, your crew members will be sent to do this if you agree. To tell you a few details, it's a hunt to find the Lost Golden Staff of Ybonzo.

Sincerely, the Association of Flying Ships

Silence. It was so quiet in the room, that Jim thought he heard a bird's feather fall to the ground outside of the house.

"Don't do it," Sarah warned him once the letter sunk in.

"Oh come on, mom. I haven't been on a trip in weeks, this will be great." Jim said, not sure of it himself. Looking at the others, he even noticed that Lilo wasn't agreeing with it. She was usually very excited for his trips and would ask to go with him. Though, she hadn't done it for a while.

"Did you hear what they were saying? All I heard was if you agree, if you agree, if you agree. There's also that none of the other captains wish to do it because of the dangers." Sarah was almost hyperventilating. Nani patted her back comfortingly.

"Mom, what are you worrying about? I mean, it's one of those stories I used to read as a kid. Look, The Lost Golden Staff of _Ybonzo_?" Jim asked, looking at her from where he sat with pride.

"I-I'm just afraid. You were more excited about the trip to Treasure Planet than you are with this one. The same thing happened with your father, returning home after his first trip that he was excited about, and then going on regular trips. Then one amazing trip that he hasn't yet returned from." Sarah sat down next to Jim, on the verge of tears. This was something that Jumba and Pleakley snuck away from.

"Mom," he said, rubbing his palm on the top of her hand, "I'm not my father, he didn't give you a promise." He waited until she looked up at him with shock. "I promise I will return home as soon as the trip is done and not make you wonder about where I am."

She looked up at him with surprise, "Jim!"

"_What_?" he asked, wondering, what he did to make her sound reprimanding?

"You didn't need to promise to make me believe you." Sarah sounded like she was losing her voice as she spoke. "I just want you to be able to say good-bye before you go."

"Of course," he said soothingly.

"When does it say you leave?"

"I doesn't, I have to write a letter back to them to show I agree."

Putting the letter he wrote to the Association of Flying Ships in the mailbox, he whistled softly. Another trip, this was going to be fun.

He'd been surprised when his mother told him about his father going on adventures. Jim never really had a relationship with him because he was always coming and going. The way she was saying it sounded like it would happen again. Jim was actually having good conversations with his mother, his father on the other hand didn't really say anything to either of them. It was no wonder Jim had hardly any memory of him.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" came Jumba's voice behind him. Pleakley was there too, but Jumba's hand was over his mouth and he was mumbling something Jim couldn't hear.

Still not turning around from the mailbox, he watched the sunset. "As long as you guys, and the rest of the crew, agree with it. Otherwise, I can kiss it goodbye."

The next day, Jim got the letter to go to the association the day afterward to get the assignment and leave. He then realized how important a trip it sounded for that was a really quick reply. Normally, Jim would have to wait at most three weeks, at the least one week, to get the time when he'd be leaving.

He went upstairs to tell his mother and Nani. He knew they wouldn't be very happy about the quick schedule he got. It was a tough job. But, of course, he had to warn Jumba and Pleakley first since they were part of his crew. Neither took it well.

"Preposterous!" Jumba shouted.

"A scandal!" Pleakley stated.

It went on for a while.

"Bye, Jim dear." Sarah told him as he went out the door, Jumba and Pleakley far ahead. Lilo had already said her goodbye, and she seemed to be missing the two more than she would miss Jim. They _had _been the ones helping her with Stitch's cousins. But she'd known Jim all her life.

"Bye, mom, see you when the trip is over." Jim turned to Nani and hugged her as well. "Bye, see you later."

She nodded sadly as he picked up his bags and went out the door.

Sarah watched her son go on the sail boat. She remembered in his pre-teens when Jim ran outside to try to say good-bye to his father. He'd been so upset and grew up into a very rebellious teenager. Something on the trip to Treasure Planet clicked in him, and she never really found out how that adventure did it.

Before, Jim had been going into restricted areas solar surfing. She never knew how he found it so refreshing to do that, it frightened her just to think of it. She normally saw him outside her window flying through the air and then falling to certain death, then he'd come right back up at the last minute.

Now, Sarah was enormously proud of him. He went from being a rebellious teenager to captain of his very own ship. It was surprising how fast the years went, he was twenty two and got out of the academy within about two years ago.


	4. Chapter 4

Once King Arthur got everything signed by Kayley, she was ready to go that morning in her new uniform of blue long sleeved shirt with a dark blue vest, and she had her sword at her side. Garrett had left the day before with Devon and Cornwall to talk to Merlin about helping him see again. He had Aiden before, so he needed the two headed dragons to help him get through the forest.

Aiden was a silver-winged falcon that belonged to Merlin, but had lived with Garrett as his eyes of the forest.

Julianna hugged her daughter fiercely. "I used to have to do this for your father. It's just strange for me to have to do it to you now."

"I know, you thought I'd be home, working, until the day someone married me. Well, no marriage anyways, no one will want me."

"That's not true-"

"Garrett and I may have had a relationship, but we were both knights. All the other knights have wives because they're allowed to as men, but a woman as a knight is a strange thing to the world. No one will marry something so strange."

"Not for forever."

"Maybe not forever, but for me."

They let go of each other, Kayley jumped onto her cream colored mare, and left the farm with King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

The road to the association was long and hard, about four hours on horseback. They got there and tied up their horses around each other in a huddle to show they belonged together. The knights stayed there while Arthur walked Kayley in.

It was a very nice building, built with reddish brown bricks and a green tiled roof. There were many windows that Kayley didn't have time to count because she was whisked inside.

They came to a big room with a large table, but it was smaller than the round table at Camelot and shaped as a rectangle. The chief of the association stood at the head of the room, all people of the crew and the captain were seated at the table.

She turned to find that Arthur had left her alone and decided he probably hated this place so much that he ditched her in there to get out. But why just like that? She'd never find out.

Everyone turned to stare at her, so she thought fast and said, "Good evening. Sorry to be late, but it was a long ride."

"No worries Lady Kayley," the chief assured her, "You can get to know the crew later, in fact you're just in time to hear what I'm to present on your mission. Please, have a seat."

Kayley took the last seat open that sat by the very front, and across the table was a very formal looking man, and she guessed he was the captain. He had his eyes on the chief, so she brought her eyes up there, too.


	5. Chapter 5

Jim could see that all of his men were surprised by the coming of the Lady Knight of Camelot, they told him they weren't expecting her to actually come. It was amazing to see a woman that beautiful was a knight of the round table, and it'd only been a short while. One and a half years, was it?

He listened to the presentation by the chief intently, hearing many gasps by his crew members. The association had already sent two ships to retrieve the staff, one of them didn't come back, and the other floated back to the station in ruins with only a couple men still alive. All in deep shock, so much that they couldn't say anything about their experience without going completely crazy.

The reason for the mission was for the staff to be brought back and given to an island in the north. It used to be their source of peace on the island. When it was stolen the island fell into turmoil, fights every hour and a tornado at every turn. Literally.

The story with the Golden Staff of Ybonzo was that a king, King Ybonzo, brought it to that little island. It had no name and he gave it none, saying it was to be original, with not name. When he passed away, a thief by the name of Vitallen snuck into the temple where it was kept and took it away into oblivion. It was said that the ship of Vitallen was last spotted in the most dangerous region of the universe, and it was only a well know sight because one of his cronies had stayed behind and was captured. He was tortured into telling what the ship looked like, and he gave full details before he died.

"Captain Hawkins," said the chief, which was all anyone called her since no one really knew her name, "Do you think you and your crew can handle this mission?"

He pretended to think a moment and said, "It's all right with me if the crew says we should. What do _you_ guys think?" Jim looked at his crew expectantly, they weren't waiting for a signal to say yes or no because they'd been under Jim's rules for a while already.

"_I_ think so," Screener said, a burly man in his thirties, "What about you guys?"

Everyone: Kin, Dabber, Seth, Jock, Scotto, Dmitry, Donnathon, Squick, Jumba, Pleakley, and Thad, all stood up and voiced yes. Jim felt proud, he may be younger than most of them but they respected him, all knew his story of when he went to Treasure Planet.

"Lady Kayley," the chief went on, seemingly pretending _not_ to have heard all those decisions made, "This trip is very dangerous, and if you still want to do it, I'm sure you will be accepted." With those last words, she stared at Jim's men, all shrank from her gaze.

"Of course, I didn't ride all the way here for nothing!" Kayley said enthusiastically.

Jim wondered if the lady knight even saw the chief's gaze on all his men, if she realized what that gaze actually meant, since of of them had been drunkards before being sentenced to working with a ship. The men were all happy to get Jim, of course, because he wasn't as hard as the other captains they'd seen and met. The fact the chief had done that without thinking of how it would affect the Lady Kayley surprised Jim, but he said nothing. The chief always had her reasons.

Loading the ship was easy, it just took the men a little while longer to set the sail and polish the ship so it was ready to go. There was still that burn mark on the front of the ship from their second voyage on the White Whale where they were scorched by a passing ship they thought to be inconspicuous. Of course, they had been wrong, luckily they were able to turn on them and invade the ship.

He saw the Lady Kayley, with her head up high, walking over to her room with her luggage. The bags looked full and heavy by the looks of it, and Jim could now tell that she was stronger than she looked when she came into the conference room.

Jim was able to work with the chief on giving her the spare room and, since they didn't have time to show her around, engraved her name on the door. It would be fixed after this trip if they were all able to survive.

He looked to the ropes to make sure they were secure, remembering the accident in his adventure to Treasure Planet when the ship's First Mate, Mr. Arrow, was killed because his rope had been cut. It had not truly been Jim's fault as he was the one to tighten all of them, but it was one of the crew members, Scroop, that cut the rope that held Mr. Arrow. He wanted Jim to get in trouble.

"Captain Hawkins," the chief said from behind him, distracting him from his thoughts. He was used to her comings and goings, so he didn't jump in surprise as he used to. "We have some new crew members for you."

"Why do I have more?" Jim asked in confusion, looking at the men behind her, and a two-headed... _dragon_?

"Garrett, Devon, Cornwall! What are you doing here?" Kayley had dropped her stuff off in her room and ran out to hug the two-headed dragon and a young man with dirty blonde hair that brightened with happiness when he saw her.

She hugged all two, or three one could say, surprised by something. "Merlin helped you see again?" she asked Garrett with excitement.

"Yeah, he helped a lot within two hours. Cornwall and Devon watched, they said that it looked like he was hypnotizing me.

The two dragons nodded vigorously.

"Your eyes still look gray." Kayley observed.

"Merlin said he couldn't bring my eye color back to where it was, but that I could use it as a disguise." Garrett said proudly, looking at everything around him. "It's been so long since I've seen things in color, usually always in dull old black."

Kayley laughed and then noticed Jim watching. "Oh, Garrett, this is Captain Hawkins, captain this is Garrett. Garrett and I used to be partners."

"Nice to meet you," Jim said formally, shaking his hand, "What is this I'm hearing?"

"Oh yes," Kayley said, "He was blind, and yet didn't really need Merlin to fix his eyesight, because he was already doing well being blind. He could fight very well and was very alert, always knew his surroundings."

"Don't brag about me, I just need to know where I'm sleeping. Well, me, Cornwall, and Devon." Garrett gestured to the two-headed dragon.

"It would be nice to have our own bedroom. Might it have its own bathroom?" the dragon with the long neck asked.

"Devon, you're part of a crew, you can't get that kind of room. Besides, ships don't have those kinds of things. There's only one bathroom on this ship." Kayley told him.

Now Jim could see which one was Devon, so that meant that the short necked dragon was Cornwall.

"Now that those reunions are over," the chief said, "Here are some other men. There's Sinbad, who used to be captain of his own ship," she pointed to a strongly built man with dark brown hair, "The rest _are or were_ his crew members, Marina, Rat, and Kale."

Jim hadn't even noticed Marina, the only woman of Sinbad's little crew. She was pretty, with short brown hair and bright eyes. She looked at Sinbad very lovingly, and Sinbad wasn't even paying attention to what was going on until the chief said reunions were over. Jim smiled to himself.

Sinbad put his arm around Marina and, with a laugh, said, "I have more crew members, they just didn't want to come on this _dangerous_ trip."

"I welcome you to the White Whale." Jim said formerly.

"So, where's the captain?" Sinbad asked him, not making a move to act as if he was there, making him smirk inside.

"You're looking at him," the chief said bluntly, "What did you not understand when I called for Captain Hawkins and this person turned around?"

He had to admit it, Jim almost laughed. He kept his face serious as he watched Sinbad look him over, looking as if he just ate a sour lemon.

"You can't be _serious_," Sinbad finally chuckled, "He's a child."

"He's also the greatest military cadet of the century Mr. Sinbad, and I suggest you treat him with respect." Jim wondered why she was defending him, as she never really took that much interest in him. But the way she sounded as she spoke with this strange man, it made her sound as if she was very fond of Jim as a cadet.

"Name one adventure he did well on," Sinbad said, looking at Jim as he said it.

"Before I became a military cadet, I went on the mission to find Treasure Planet." Jim answered for himself. He could fight his own battles. "The ship I was on found it and had to escape before the planet exploded, it was covered with gold and jewels that Captain Flint looted from other ships."

"Oh, really? Then you must know the reason that his comings and goings were so surprising by crew members on those ships?"

"The map used to get to the center of Treasure Planet where the gold was kept was a portal. A portal used to get anywhere at any time. We used that portal to get back to this station here so that we wouldn't get caught in the destruction of the planet." Jim said.

Sinbad looked at him in wonderment, as if he thought he might be lying to his face. Jim hadn't lied in the past seven years since Treasure Planet.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Kayley's expression of awe and amazement. He could see the same of Garrett, Devon and Cornwall, the dragons with their mouths dropped open wide.

"And that's that," Jim said, walking away, a smile in the corner of his mouth. Then he called over his shoulder, "We'll have mingling with my other crew members after we take off!"

Sinbad looked like he was about to jump Jim, but the two men he brought with him held him back. The big black guy called out, "Yes, captain." Then, they did what looked like they were scolding him. Actually, Marina was the one doing it while the men held him.

The other guy was a raggedy fellow, looked like the kind to climb the posts as a lookout. That might have actually been his last job on Sinbad's ship. He just couldn't see Sinbad actually commandeering a ship, but it was probably sea-based from the looks of where they've been.

But where did he know these men from? There was an odd familiarity about them that Jim couldn't place. It was probably nothing, but it was really strange to him.

"Donnathon, it's almost time for takeoff! Are we ready?" Jim called out.

"Ready when you are, captain!" Donnathon said from the steering wheel. "Just tell me when to signal Dabber and Thad!"

Once the chief was safely off the ship and watching them with her observant eyes, Jim signaled to take off. He went to the new crew members and told them all, "Hold on,"

"To what?" Devon and Cornwall asked before they doubled over from the impact of the ship moving upward into space.

Jim stood standard as he had learned from those two years at the Interstellar Academy and many missions. He looked over to see Kale and Rat holding on to the rails and Sinbad and Marie, Kayley and Garrett doing their best to stand as Jim did.

When they were safely in the air, Sinbad muttered, "Does he really need to show off?"

"You know," Jim called to him, "I thought the same thing on my first trip when my captain did that. We're close friends now just to let you know."

"I don't accept the offer I bet you're planning to make," Sinbad called bluntly.

Jim shrugged wordlessly, but inside he grimaced, this guy wasn't at all ready for this trip. He just hoped he would make it through and learn something of it.


	6. Chapter 6

Kayley looked around at the stars around her in wonderment. It was amazing to be in space for the first time in her life, besides the fact of getting to that space station where there was no open space to see all this. On a ship, everything was open.

She went to Captain Hawkins and asked him, "How are we still breathing and standing?"

She thought he would laugh with the easiness of the thought, but he didn't. "There's a force around the ship that gives off the amount of oxygen we need, and keeps the gravity in."

"Oh my," she said, thinking of what would happen if they suddenly went flying off into space, and with no air.

"It's something to keep on a ship, because you really don't want to be faced with the situation of no gravity. There may be a force field, but it doesn't keep you from flying away." Captain Hawkins said grimly.

Kayley gulped. "Has it ever happened to a member on a ship you were on?"

"Yeah," he said, remembering something. She saw from his gaze that he probably didn't mind the fact that this person was taken away from the ship by this terrible fate. "My very first mission . . ."

Kayley snuck away from him, he seemed to be stuck in his own world. It was hard to think of this amazing captain to be someone as normal as her, especially since she heard that story of his. He was the one in the news those many years ago that had gone to Treasure Planet and brought some of the gold back to his mother to open a new inn.

It made her wonder about how other people saw her, the only lady knight of the round table. One of the two people to destroy Ruber, the knight of the round table that wanted more power than he already had.

The thought of Ruber made her shudder. He'd tried to steal Excalibur from King Arthur with many failed attempts, the first move for power started many years ago and her father had been in his way. He killed her father and she, in a way, produced honor for her family in killing the man who murdered her father.

She explored the ship for a while and found a set of stairs leading to what she guessed was known as a basement. Creeping down there, she heard an "Ahhhh!" and screamed herself, putting her hand on her sword hilt for protection.

There was silence. She looked deep into the darkness and saw a brown, skinny robot come out in a cooking apron looking back at her in surprise. "I'm sorry, I didn't think anyone was down here," she murmured softly.

The robot smiled and said, "Oh, don't worry, it's fine. I just wasn't expecting a visitor." He bent down and started picking up the vegetables he'd dropped.

She scooped down to help him, and he seemed surprised by her helping hand.

"What are you cooking? Perhaps I can help," she said as they washed the vegetables, "It'd give me something to do on the ship."

"Just some vegetable soup for dinner, and would you? I mean, it'll take a lot of time." The robot looked at her with what looked like a sincere smile, he really wanted some help.

"No worries, besides, it is fun to cook." Kayley said with enthusiasm.

"I never expected a lady knight to love to cook," the robot said frankly.

"I was a farm girl _long_ before being lady knight," she told him, "And if I'm to work with you, I think we should be properly introduced. Hi, I'm Kayley." She offered a hand to him.

"I'm B.E.N., pleased to meet your acquaintance," he replied, shaking her hand.

Kayley returned the shake with the same amount of enthusiasm.


	7. Chapter 7

Kayley worked with B.E.N. on dinner for a while, but she had a lot of fun. B.E.N. made jokes and knew a lot about the trip to Treasure Planet. She was interested to find out he had been on it with Captain Hawkins, an important relic to it.

"What was he like?" she asked, just wanting a story.

"Oh, well, he wouldn't accept my hugs at first. His hair, since he was fifteen, had that little ponytail in the back. He was _very_ brave." B.E.N. explained to Kayley of his time with Sarah, and how many time she said that Jim changed so much since the trip. He used to be very rebellious.

"That's new." Kayley commented. She hadn't expected this bit of news. "Why _had_ he been so rebellious?"

"I never actually found out," B.E.N. said with a sigh, "I guess the captain never liked talking about the reason why. So Sarah and his friends never mentioned it around me."

"What is he like now?"

"All I have to say is that the captain you see now is the serious, hardworking part. The other part of him, when he's not working, is really a fun guy."

This shocked Kayley immensely. She couldn't imagine the captain as fun to be with, though he allowed his men to make decisions according to journeys, he didn't seem the type to want to have fun. She hoped to learn more about him, but B.E.N. started cutting up the vegetable with such precision that she watched with interest.

Jim walked around the ship, making sure everything was well in order before taking to his office. It was a large room with a desk he liked to use for making the reports to send back to the station. He sat behind it and just looked out of the window.

He loved the view. Though he'd seen it thousands of times, he could never get over the scenery that the stars could show. It was a really amazing sight.

Once he heard shouts of anger, he shot out of his chair and to where he heard it from. It was from Sinbad's quarters with Marina, Kale, and Rat, but what really worried him was when he heard the voice of a little boy.


	8. Chapter 8

Jim ran to the quarters and found a sight he hadn't wanted to see. Though he kept his face serious, his insides were shouting with pleads of 'this cannot be true!' It felt like it was the first time he'd been truly in shock for years.

He watched as Sinbad talked to a boy who was about the age of ten, of whom pouted. Jim somehow knew Sinbad was probably the kind to have kids, but not bring them on his _ship_!

"You stop that!' Sinbad told the kid harshly.

"But I'm _bored_! Can't I do something around the ship?"

"For one, you'd complain the moment you started!" Sinbad said, showing the number of reasons through his fingers. "And two, the captain doesn't know you are here and shouldn't know at all!"

"Except he does," Jim butted in, making Sinbad jump in surprise. Looking around, even Kale and Rat were surprised. They were the only people in the room.

"Do you know it's rude to come into someone's room uninvited?" Sinbad asked through gritted teeth, his hands in tight fists.

"For one, the door was open," Jim stated, doing the same thing Sinbad did to the kid. "Two, I'm not in your room, I'm in the doorway. And three, it's my business once I hear shouting."

"Don't you try to teach me a lesson, boy!" Sinbad snarled menacingly.

"Sinbad," Kale warned.

"I wasn't teaching you a lesson," Jim said, "I was just stating the reasons on how it's my business and how I'm not actually disturbing the area."

"You're disturbing my temper." Sinbad said.

"Then I guess we better talk in my office privately." Jim said, walking to his office. He went in and waited at his desk, though he didn't sit. One of the things he hated most was when he went to see someone, and they'd sit behind their desks while eying him. He wasn't going to do that.

Sinbad came in a few minutes later, looking distraught. Closing the door behind him, he pleaded, "Please don't do anything to me, I haven't actually done anything wrong!" He was even on his knees.

"My plead will be for you not to kneel to me like I'm a priest." Jim said.

Sinbad looked up in surprise. At Jim's raised eyebrow, he stood up. "Wait, I thought all captains wanted crew members to do that when they've done something wrong. That's what the chief told me anyways."

"Sinbad, I'm not like other captains," Jim said earnestly. "I . . . honestly don't like having crew members kneel before me when they've done something wrong, even if they deserve it. I may be a younger captain than you expected, but I'm more mature than to make you afraid of me. I just want an explanation as to why you've brought your son on my ship."

"You promise I won't get in trouble?" Sinbad asked, actually looking worried.

"Well, it's most likely that you brought him because you and Marina are on this trip and don't want someone taking care of him. But, it could be other reasons, I just need that reason and you'll be let go scot-free." Jim said, hoping he was being fair enough to the gentleman.

"We-we're being chased." Sinbad said, looking down.

"Chased?" Jim said, looking at Sinbad inquisitively. What danger had he put his ship in? "By who?"

"A cyborg. He'd shouted out to us when we got away from him by setting our ship loose and moving as fast as possible... how he knew I'd done something wrong, and that he was going to take my son." Sinbad's voice surprisingly didn't crack as he said this. "I thought that if I went on a ship to space, then he wouldn't be able to get me."

"You can't stay in space forever. We'd have to go back sometime." Jim said, hoping he wasn't going to say he wanted to be left behind on a planet.

"I know, I just wanted time to get my act together. But, I don't even know what wrong thing I did."

Jim wondered to himself. He'd said cyborg. He'd only met one cyborg before, and he'd grown to really like him. Like a father.

Jim shook this out of his head and asked, "What is your job?"

"Nothing really, I'm just a-a-a sailor. All I actually do is bring cargo from one place to the next and sell it." Sinbad said, looking up at Jim sorrowfully. That sounded like the first lie but Jim shrugged it off.

"That is all, Sinbad. You may let your son walk around the ship, but I think he would be best working in the kitchen." Jim said.

"Thank you, captain." Sinbad said, sincerely grateful.

Jim and Sinbad walked back to his quarters where Kale and Rat entertained the boy. He was so young, and so innocent. All three looked up, and Sinbad beckoned the boy over to the two of them.

"I leave him in your hands, Captain Hawkins," Sinbad said, menacingly. "If he gets hurt, then it is on your head."

Jim said grimly, "And I have to say that your warnings to me will turn on you later."

Sinbad looked at him, then shook his head and turned to the boy. "This is Captain Hawkins. Do as he says, and don't get into trouble." Then he walked in and closed the door behind him.

The boy scowled at the door. Turning to Jim, he said, "He's too strict."

Jim smiled. "Luckily I'm not so stern." Then turning, he nodded his head forward, "Follow me."

The boy followed. Jim couldn't help but wonder something. His hair was a really light brown while both of his parents had a dark brown. How did that work? Some grandparent's light brown hair came in dominant instead?

"So, what's your name?" Jim asked him, trying to find a way for it not to be too silent all the way to the kitchen.

"Hogarth," he stated, "It's really such a horrible name. I don't understand why my parents would name me something so awful."

"Actually, that's a pretty good name." Jim said, knowing how much his mother wanted to name himself that. His father had refused, thinking it really bad. But his mother loved the name because it was the name of her father, whom she loved dearly.

"Really? Well, what's _your_ first name, Captain Hawkins?" Hogarth asked, looking smug. He seemed to be waiting for a silly name.

"James, but most people call me Jim." Jim answered. B.E.N. called him Jimmy, but he found it to sound as if he was really young, and he hated that. He called him captain when they were on the ship, but at home it was just teeth-clenching to hear it.

"Oh, but that's normal." Hogarth complained.

"Think of your name as unique." Jim said with a smile.

"Hmm, but even my friend Jane says it's strange."

"Who is Jane?"

"She's a girl my age, we've been friends since we were about four. She lives in England, and we visit her often." Hogarth said proudly.

Jim nodded silently. He knew it good, especially for Hogarth, to have friends. But why visit England often when places like Africa needed goods the most?

They went down the stairs into the dark kitchen. "B.E.N.!" Jim called out.

"Yes, captain?" B.E.N. asked, coming out of the area where there was another form. The other form put the stuff down, and he realized it to be Lady Kayley.

He talked to B.E.N. as if he didn't notice anyone else except the young boy and the robot. "I have someone who will help you here in the kitchen from now on. His name is Hogarth."

B.E.N. was so excited. "Oh, splendid! Thank you, captain!" he instantly rushed Hogarth into the kitchen, leaving Lady Kayley and Captain Hawkins alone.

He bowed his head a bit, his hands now behind his back. "Lady Kayley." Jim said formerly.

"Captain Hawkins," she said, "I hope you don't mind that I'm down here, but…"

He realized she didn't know what to say."But what? I think it's great that you've found something to do," and he added with a chuckle, "I was worried you'd have to ask me to give you something."

She laughed, and he was happy to know that it wasn't a nervous one. "No, besides, I'm glad I found the kitchen. I love working in here." Then she looked at him as his memories brought him back to Treasure Planet. He hadn't been down in the kitchen of his ship, or of any ship, for seven years. "Have you ever been in here before?"

"Not this specific kitchen, but many times on another ship," Jim said, "In fact, on the trip to Treasure Planet, I was assigned to work in the kitchen."

"On the trip to Treasure Planet?" she asked in shock, with him nodding. "But I thought you were a member of the crew. Well, I mean you were, but as one that works above the kitchen."

"Oh, I did a little bit of tying ropes, but nothing major. Besides, I wasn't really a member of the crew, I was allowed on the adventure because I had the map to lead us there."

"How old were you?" she asked in shock.

"Only fifteen."

"Wow. You know, B.E.N. told me that he'd been on the planet and that you found him after a crash."

"Yeah, I was with a family friend, Delbert, and the captain, Amelia," he heard little sounds of complaint from his pocket, "Oh! _Morph_, _how_ could I have forgotten about _you, _huh?"

Kayley was confused, she'd heard sounds, and then he said something in a teasing voice. But who was Morph?

Just as she thought that, out came a little pink blob with a face. It was actually kind of cute. She was suddenly relieved that it hadn't been the captain making that noise. Otherwise it would've been a little awkward, especially because he'd been so serious since the conference.

It floated between herself and Captain Hawkins and suddenly morphed in him. A smaller version though. It showed his features and was wearing his suit, but then it looked like it was getting younger until she saw a boy who looked like the captain. The difference was that he now had large side bangs, a small pony tail in the back, and brown baggy clothing.

"Morph," Captain Hawkins said sternly, "You really don't need to do that."

"Morph must've known you for that trip." Kayley stated in wonder.

"Yeah, Morph had belonged to the chef of the kitchen, and he'd given Morph to me when he left." Captain Hawkins thought a bit before adding, "Morph had a very interesting part in all this. He pretended to be the map when I rushed from the ship, and I grabbed him instead of the actual map."

Kayley looked at Morph in surprise. "Why would he do that?"

"I didn't understand it, either, so let's just leave it at that." Captain Hawkins said with a small smirk.

"Kayley! Hogarth and I are going to finish cooking the soup without you!" B.E.N. shouted.

"Coming," she said, then looking at the captain, "I guess I'll see you later?"

"Later." Captain Hawkins agreed, then silently moving up the stairs. Why did she feel so out of breath after talking to him? That was a mystery she decided to look at later.


	9. Chapter 9

Jim let out a breath of exhilaration. He was quite taken with Lady Kayley, it seemed, she was just so full of life!

He proceeded to the dining room where all the crew members, besides the cooks, were hanging around and joking. Most of the fun came from telling each other stories or from making fun of each other. Sinbad seemed to be enjoying himself.

When Jim's crew members noticed him, they screamed, "Hey! It's the captain's turn!"

Jim noticed Sinbad turn sour, for what reason he had no idea, but he was pushed to the front of the room, continuing to look serious. When he was in front of them, they all watched with anticipation.

Slowly, he scanned the room with his eyes, everyone's smile slowly went down. Then he slowly smiled. They all burst into laughter and said "There's our captain!"

Jim laughed along with them, and watched as Sinbad crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

The cooks came in but no one paid any heed to them. They had to set the table, put the food on, and call for dinner before anyone left the favored stand-up comedy by Captain James Hawkins.

He thought a moment and then said, "All right, I have something. You remember Lilo, right?"

All the men gave murmers of agreement.

"For the past year she has given me all of her utmost attention in asking about the job of a space cadet. The moment she hears of Lady Kayley of the Knights of the Round Table..." he said, glancing up at Lady Kayley who looked up at his mention of her, "Forget me! I'm of no interest anymore, though I've been like a brother to her. She wants the Lady Knight and wants to be just like her."

The men laughed uproariously.

"Nani tells me that she's at the age of thinking about jobs she'll want to have. My reaction? 'She's seven!'"

The men laughed again, and this time Jim could notice a small smile from Sinbad.

"How many of you know I used to be a rebellious teen?" Jim asked, raising his own hand. Very few raised their hands; including Lady Kayley, B.E.N., Jumba, and Pleakley. "All right. Well, good! None of you want to know why, I'm sure, but let me tell you about my mother. She still seems to think I'm going to return to _being_ rebellious!"

A few chuckles were given.

"I called her into the room once to tell her something I read from the newspaper... she comes in looking raggedy and says 'What's wrong?!'"

Many laughs.

"'Uh... nothing. I have some good news, how about you read it?' I am still not trustworthy enough for her to have a smile on her face _before_ she walks into a room with me.. not after."

"Jim!" Jumba called out, causing everyone to look at him, "Tell him about every time Pleakley has been wrong, including our last fight."

"No, no, no, no, no!" Pleakley said desperately.

"Aw, don't worry Pleakley, it's a little joking. You'll get a kick out of it!" Jim said, beginning about their last fight. "So, you all know that in order to stay safe in a neighborhood he used to live in, he wore women's clothes while Jumba wore men's clothes. In which case... when he hears about Lady Kayley, he immediately assumes that she is a man in disguise as a Lady Knight."

Everyone laughed (except of course Pleakley), very hard, including Sinbad. None laughed harder than Jumba.

"Think it's funny, Jumba?" Jim asked, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Yes, Captain," Jumba said in between chuckles, "I really do."

"Hm... I can think of something even funnier than that. Do you all want to hear it?" Jim asked to the rest of his crew. At the sound of agreement, Jim continued. "I seem to remember a time when Lilo was asking everyone in the household to help her learn how to ride a two-wheeled bike –"

"Oh no!" Jumba said.

Jim chuckled, "Oh yes! I wanted to teach her, but no. Since she asked Jumba first, and agreed, my input doesn't count and neither does Nani's. The one thing I _can_ do is buy Lilo a beautiful purple bike, and over a hundred dollars mind you... Jumba decided that the way he was going to teach her was to _show _her first."

"Ooooooh!" everyone said with laughs here and there. Pleakley was doing his best not to let out a hoot of laughter, shaking and holding his hand to his mouth.

It went on like this for a bit, Jim continuing in making fun of something funny that had happened between him and the crewmates. He even made fun of himself, and with those the crew members laughed much harder. This continued until they heard B.E.N. call out, "Dinner!"

"Before we move," Jim said, causing everyone to stay where they were, "Let us give a big thanks to our cooks, thank them now because they are feeding us for the trip."

Everyone clapped for them. Kayley did a little bow, laughing Hogarth looked extremely proud and excited, and B.E.N. was just flabberghasted by this. He hadn't expected any thanks for working as he did back home when helping Sarah.

"Now, we may eat!" Jim said with a smile.

Once everyone had had their fill of food and went to bed, Jim went up to the deck and proceeded to take control of the wheel. It was okay to leave the ship in mid-float to eat, but when everyone was in bed he had to steer it in order to keep moving and for someone to be awake while all else took a nap.

One might find doing such a thing as boring, but Jim enjoyed the silence he had. To just look at the stars around him and have the time to himself to think.

"Do you ever sleep?" a voice asked from behind him.

Turning around, Jim looked into the face of a tired Lady Kayley. "Sometimes," he said with a grin, "Did something wake you up?"

"Only having trouble falling asleep. I don't know how I'm going to get used to going to bed out in space. It's quite a new experience for me."

"It may take a bit of time," he nodded, "You don't even have to get used to it."

She gave a little laugh, "That's true, I don't have to get out in space ever again after this." Lady Kayley studied him a moment, "Why must you steer the ship while everyone else is sleeping."

"I sleep very little on the ship... I only catch up once I get home. It took a bit to get used to, but it was something to learn when I studied at the Interstellar Academy. You can't leave a ship in mid-air for too long without someone on the deck to make sure we aren't caught by surprise when something dangerous possibly comes." Jim said, turning around and leaning against the wheel. "But," he said with a smile, "I should not get you to bed with nightmares. What do you want to talk about?"

Lady Kayley shrugged her shoulders, "I don't quite know... but I can certainly say I don't know how I'd be able to go through a night without at least some sleep."

Jim smirked, "I take a short nap when everyone is up and working... mind, very short, once I went to take a nap and was asleep for about a minute before I was awoken with the fact that our ship was being attacked."

"When was that?" she asked in shock.

"Oh... I'd say about two to three years ago. A pirate ship was coming for us and with my direction we outran them... or outsoared them should I say?"

Lady Kayley laughed. "I've have to outrun people before, never outsour them. That should be fun."

"It's very joyous, the stress you must go through not to be caught." Jim said, chuckling.

Lady Kayley smiled, "You know, Captain Hawkins, I never thought you'd be so fun to talk to. It's quite a difference from the serious captain while everyone is working compared to when it's a free time."

"I must be serious, it's the worst part of the job." Jim said, laughing along with Lady Kayley. "And you don't need to call me Captain Hawkins now. Perhaps when it's work time, but now in the silence, just call me Jim."

She smiled, "And you can just call me Kayley."

Jim gave a kurt nod. "So I shall... think you can fall asleep now?"

Kayley snorted, "Tired of me already?"

"Me?" he asked, pointing to himself and looking surprised, "Never!"

She laughed, "Really? It sure looks like it."

He shook his head vigorously, as a child might, "No, no, no, no."

"Okay," Kayley said, hardly able to suppress her laughter, "I don't know if I want to sleep just now... to miss this side of you."

Jim gave her a bright smile, "I do this every night if you think you can stay up to talk."

"I think I just might try."


	10. Chapter 10

Kayley woke up the next morning in her room, in the hammock. _How did I get here?_ she asked herself. She had been with Jim on the deck for the rest of the night so how was it that she came to be in her own room? She didn't go back to her room... did she fall asleep? Did he carry her to bed?

For some reason the idea that the captain had carried her to bed gave her goose-bumps. Not bad though, it was an exciting thought.

She stood up just as B.E.N. pounded on her door and shouted, "Time to get up and make breakfast, Kayley!"

"I'll be there in a minute!" she said.

After getting dressed, Kayley went down to the kitchen to find a sleepy Hogarth and a very energized B.E.N.

"We have a big day ahead of us!" B.E.N. said excitedly, taking out pans and pancake mix.

Kayley smiled, "What sort of pancakes are we making?"

"Plain, of course!"

Hogarth rolled his eyes.

"Why, that won't do at all!" Kayley said, "We can keep the plain pancakes, but we should also make chocolate-chip pancakes and banana pancakes. At last those two so the crew can have a little variety... that is if you have those ingredients."

"Yes, I do, that sounds like a great idea!" B.E.N. said, not at all daunted by Kayley's adding a little more to their workload.

Hogarth's expression brightened at the mention of chocolate-chip pancakes and was more than willing to help out with making that. Kayley also remembered the joy of knowing she was having chocolate-chip pancakes when she was little. The delicious taste that she so loved to savor.

Jim went to get breakfast ready for the day. He hadn't slept at all the night before, having to watch the ship, and had only left for a few minutes to bring Lady Kayley back to her room. He knew she'd have to fall asleep at some point, it just hadn't crossed his mind that he'd have to carry her there. Well... he didn't have to, but the thing was that he hadn't wanted to wake her, seeing how deep she slept.

He came into the dining room and had a surprise waiting for him. The crew were eating their breakfast with big smiles on their faces instead of the many tired and disgruntled faces he usually saw for the first day back.

Walking over to B.E.N., he asked him, "What happened here?"

"We made pancakes."

"You always make that for the first day, what's so different now?"

"Instead of only _plain_ pancakes, Lady Kayley suggested we also make banana pancakes and chocolate-chip pancakes. The men are certainly happy about that." B.E.N. was sounding very happy, as usual, but somehow even more so. Jim didn't know it was possible.

Jim nodded, "I am pleased, let Lady Kayley know that." Then he went over and took a banana and a chocolate-chip pancake and walked out of the dining room.

"I didn't know it would make that much of a difference," Kayley said after B.E.N. told her what the captain said.

"Are you kidding yourself?" B.E.N. asked, "You knew just plain pancakes wouldn't cut it."

"Well, I certainly didn't think I'd be held in such high regards because I added a few sorts of pancakes to the list." Kayley said, biting her lip thoughtfully. It wasn't the way she'd wanted to go on this trip, more on the point of being able to protect the crew should any danger arise.

"Kayley, you are held in much higher regards than that... I mean, you're a lady knight for crying out loud!" B.E.N. said.

Kayley laughed, "Thanks B.E.N., it'll be fine I guess... maybe I'm being a little too hasty in wanting action."

B.E.N. shook his head, "I know I certainly don't. I've had enough action to last me a life time."

The crew got to work pretty quickly. With Kayley and B.E.N. working on lunch, Jim took Hogarth to the ropes of the ship and taught him how to tie knots. Hogarth was excitedly following all of Jim's instructions.

"Are there going to b any dangers like black holes while we're sailing?" Hogarth asked.

"Possibly," Jim said, "Though, there hopefully won't be any complications on the way there. We don't want any dangers to tire us out or anything."

Hogarth gave a small chuckle, "I _live _for danger!"

"Do you now?" Jim asked humorously. "Then I'm sure you don't mind if we find monsters out in space."

"What kind of monsters?" he asked hopefully.

Jim was about to say something, but then he considered the age that Hogarth was. "Never mind that. I guess tickle monsters won't comes after you."

Hogarth's mouth dropped open, "T-_tickle_ monsters?"

Jim gave a sly smile, "Oh, so you're ticklish, huh?"

Hogarth shook his head vigorously, but Jim already saw his anxiety. He grabbed him and Hogarth broke out in laughter.

"Stop it!" he said in between laughing, "No, no, no!"

Somewhere close by, Sinbad watched Captain Hawkins play with Hogarth. It amazed him, it really did, that a captain would go to such lengths to make a kid happy. A kid who hadn't been allowed on the ship in the first place.

There was something strange with the captain, Sinbad felt. It was as though he had a secret that begged to be told and taken care of.

Sinbad wanted to be the first to know what it was, no matter how personal.


	11. Chapter 11

Some time went by, perhaps a few weeks. Jim never counted. But on every one of those nights, he spent part of it with Kayley and then made sure she went to bed before she fell asleep on him again. On the second she had asked him about it and he confirmed her suspicion that he had indeed carried her to bed.

He noted the blush she held after that he never returned to that subject again lest she seem embarrassed once more.

How they came to the subject of their parents, neither of them knew, but all they knew was that it was a turning point on how they viewed each other as friends. It had been after a few weeks on the ship, and the two were becoming very close friends.

"You seem to speak all about your mother," Jim had noted, "What of your father?"

Kayley's expression went from happy to depressed. "He died when I was ten."

Jim sobered, "What happened?"

"A knight named Ruber," Kayley explained, "He wanted Excalibur and control over the kingdom. My father protected the king and died in the process... Garrett and I were the ones to finally destroy him, therefore earning my knighthood."

Jim smiled, "That's a very honorable way to die at least."

"I suppose," Kayley said, looking Jim in his eyes. They were so blue! Hers were a beautiful amber that also surprised him. "What about your father? You never speak of him either."

He gave her a knowing smile, "I may never know what happened to him. He left my mother and me when I was about twelve... owing to why I'd been so rebellious as a teenager."

"Oh..." Kayley said, giving a small nod. "It makes sense now, I guess."

Jim moved to sit next to Kayley's tired form on the deck of the ship. He smiled, "I suppose, but in many moments I wish I hadn't been. I was caught by the police so many times that it was almost too hard to get into the Interstellar Academy with only a recommendation from my captain."

"Really?" Kayley asked in shock, "How did you get in, then?"

"My captain told them what I did to save her and her crew from the pirates that had over-taken her ship. Not only that, but saving us from the disaster of being destroyed along with Treasure Planet... I showed them the skill I possessed in order to do that."

"What was that?" she asked, so interested that all thoughts of sleep left her.

"Solar surfing," Jim said with a cheeky grin, "One of the skills I also used in having annoyed the police. But, they let me in for it, and I still do it a bit even if I haven't brought one aboard."

"So, you don't have one with you?" Kayley asked, feeling disappointment.

"Actually, I don't normally bring it but..." Jim said, a cheshire-like grin coming across his face, "I brought it on this trip. It's in _amazingly_ good shape, too."

Kayley laughed."I don't imagine you brought any books about the Golden Staff of Ybonzo either?"

"I have, why?"

"I may be allowed on this trip because I can protect myself, but also for being able to understand magical properties. If I can understand how we'll be able to get the staff, then we'll get it and leave with it without problems."

Jim nodded, "Makes sense. I will hand them over to you. Not that I even read them all that much anymore... not since I was, say, seven."

She laughed again, "Children stories, then?"

"That's the only reason I have 'em." Jim said, chuckling. "Books used to be the only way I could escape without worrying over my father's comings and goings."

Kayley gave him a sad smile, "I'll bet he's still alive. He probably just had no way of coming home –"

"Thank you for your optimism, Kayley... but I lost faith in him a long time ago. If I see him again, it's hardly likely that I will talk to him."

"Hardly likely that he'll recognize you, too." Kayley said, trying to lighten the mood.

It worked.

"I guess not," Jim said after laughing hard enough, "All the more better."

She smiled, "I can only know that my father is watching over me, keeping me safe. He used to be a knight of the round table, and when I was little I always wished for the day I could do the same."

Jim chuckled, "I never wanted to do what my father did, I was more interested in space sailing than sea sailing."

"There's where we're different," Kayley noted, "I followed a similar dream to my father and came out successful... _You_, however, followed a dream the complete opposite to what your father's was, and came out _very_ successful."

"How am I 'very' successful?" Jim asked.

"You're captain of your own ship within a number of years and don't make your crew fear you... you treat your crew as your friends and pull no sort of rank on them. Not many people can have a captain that does that far as I know. Your crew is very lucky to have gotten you."

He gave a small smile, "I love my crew members, wouldn't switch them for the world. We've been together through thick and thin... they had to be a part of the crew as part of a punishment, and long after they paid it off, they don't want to leave. I'm lucky to have such a dedicated crew."

"But what is your method? How did you make it such a great experience for them that they _want_ to work for you?" she asked.

Jim thought on that. "I've never asked them about what it was they did wrong, and _never_, when they got in trouble with me, _never_ brought up why they were on the ship. That was paying off what trouble they got in to come with me. I never made it hell for them to work for me. I wanted them to like me, be friends with me."

"But why? You've done better than them –"

"I know you're trying to make a point, that I'm different from other captains. That you want to know why... but, really. No one person is different from the other. Everyone has their bad side, everyone has their good side, it just depends on what you do to get either side out. It can take one person to move you to your bad side, which everyone on this ship had that one person, including me... and it can take on person to move you to your good side. For the men on here, that was me, and for me, that person was a cyborg... the man who gave me Morph."

At that moment, Morph came out and rested on Jim's shoulder, curling up into the crook of his neck.

Jim smiled. "Morph is continuing that man's help to me by being here with me."

Kayley nodded in understanding. "I'm sure I have a bad side, but it hasn't been obvious like with you and your men..."

"Don't beat yourself up over it," Jim said, "I'm just saying that that's my take on it. These men may have done bad things, but I don't care about what they have done. They are my friends, I care for what they do in the present."

Kayley nodded again.

Jim Hawkins had certainly been through a lot, and it brought him to be very wise in his choices.


	12. Chapter 12

"What's wrong?!" Sinbad asked in confusion when the captain and his crew stopped working to look into the distance.

Captain Hawkins, who had a telescope to his eye said, "It's an official pirate ship, and it's heading straight for us."

Sinbad looked out as well then, and felt a pang of dread as he recognized the ship.

"All right crew, you know the drill!" the captain said, putting his telescope away. "Raise the sails, and be sure you all get below deck as soon as possible before they start shooting!"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" Sinbad said, turning towards Captain Hawkins. "You're going to outrun them? I thought this was a top-notch ship, why aren't you staying to fight them off?"

"We are on a mission, Sinbad," Captain Hawkins said seriouslym "There is no time for us to stop and fight these pirates. We have a better chance in outrunning them."

"Oh, because you've done it so often?" Sinbad asked, trying to make the captain stutter in his decision.

"Many, many times," Captain Hawkins said, surprising Sinbad. "I'm sorry, but it is too dangerous for us to stop and fight. I'd rather keep us all safe and unhurt throughout the mission, so I am not going to give jurisdiction to fight."

"How about I take control of the ship? You look like you need a nap, captain! That is a _pirate_ ship!" Sinbad said.

"I am well aware of that, but I am not endangering the crew or the ship."

Sinbad was furious. Subjected to trying to sail away from a pirate ship! He would not stand for it. "Can I talk to you in your office, captain?" he asked angrily.

Captain Hawkins looked at him, silent a moment, then nodded. "I will meet you there. I have a few more commands to give out."

Sinbad went to his office instantly and took a look around. Spotting a candlestick, he grabbed that and waited by the door for the captain. It had been long enough, he wanted control of this ship, even though it was possible he would be put in jail somewhere.

The captain came into the room, and Sinbad swung the candlestick at his head. He saw it coming just in time and ducked out of the way.

"Sorry, captain, it's my turn to take over the ship." Sinbad said, swinging again.

The captain said nothing, jumping out of the way every time Sinbad took a swing at him.

"In shock, captain?" Sinbad asked, running out of breath. He had the captain cornered, but the man was still able to jump out of his reach before he could hit him.

The captain still said nothing, just stared at him stonily. It was easy to tell he was _angry_.

Sinbad quickly jumped out of the room, closing the door and giving a sigh of relief as he found he was able to lock it from the outside. Those eyes of the captain seemed to burn into his soul. How had he been able to do that?

He instantly took control, going out on deck and happy to see that everyone was still there. "Hold up! The captain has put me in charge and I say we put down the sails and stay here!"

There were protests instantly. Sinbad waved them all aside, "I had a talk with him, he agreed with my plan in the end."

The Lady Kayley walked up to him, then. "Why did he put you in charge?"

"He has a bit of a headache. He is staying in his office and asks that nobody go disturbing him." Sinbad said, noticing her scrutinizing look. She didn't trust his word. "Don't you dare go near him, if you do then I will strand you on a planet."

The crew was soon full in arms with guns and protection gear. Sinbad had to give Captain Hawkins credit for having a perfect crew as this.

"Can I fight?" Hogarth asked him excitedly.

"No," Sinbad said sternly, "You are staying downstairs in the kitchen with B.E.N. and your mother."

"You're not keeping me down there, too." Marina said to him.

"I am in control, so yes I can," Sinbad said, and then went to Lady Kayley, "You go, too."

"No." Lady Kayley said plainly, her sword out.

"_I am in charge_! _Do as I say_!" Sinbad said.

The men whispered to each other as Lady Kayley stood her ground, her sword still out. Sinabd was becoming furious.

"I am superior in sword fighting Lady Knight, I think it best for you to go to the kitchen."

"I will _not_," Lady Kayley said, "There is a reason I am on the ship. If not only to be able to protect myself, I want to protect everyone on the ship."

Sinbad gave up on her, but pushed Marina and Hogarth down to the kitchen. He locked them in as well.

The ship was there very quickly. The men from the ship swung on to the White Whale and were instantly shown as superior to them all in fighting. Captain Hawkins' men weren't in the job to know how to fight, they did it for the adventure.

Sinbad, Kale, Rat, Garrett, and Lady Kayley were the only five able to fight like pros. The other men had guns, but those were easily taken from them, so very soon they were held hostage by the pirates. But, Sinbad thought, the only reason they were was because Lady Kayley suddenly disappeared in the midst of the fighting and didn't help him to the end. _Where could she have gone to? h_e thought dryly.

The cyborg he'd most dreaded coming in contact with came onto the ship and gave a smile of triumph. With a peg leg, a robotic arm, and a mechanical eye, those were the only parts of him that showed he was a cyborg. The rest of his body was his normal skin. He still wasn't human.

Sinbad gulped down his anxiety and hoped he would leave thinking Hogarth was not on the ship.


	13. Chapter 13

Jim tried desperately to get out of his office, but to no avail. He was locked in from the outside, so he had no way of opening it... jailed inside his own office. _Perfect_.

He'd heard the fighting on board, worrying as it wasn't something his men could do very well. They were taught to never be fighting, always run or hide. What was he going to do about Sinbad with this once he got out? If he ever got out?

Once there was silence, Jim feared the worst. He tried being optimistic, but it wasn't likely. Pirates were better fighters by far, even with Kayley on board.

Jim went into his cupboard and took out a gun, checking that it was loaded.

There was an unlocking of the door, and in burst Kayley. "The men are being held hostage by the pirates!"

Jim went towards her, "I will go reason with the pirates, all right? So they have everyone?"

She shook her head, "Marina, Hogarth, and B.E.N. are in the kitchen. Sinbad locked them in there to keep them safe, and almost put me in there."

"So you were able to fight?"

She nodded, "The men were taken almost instantly, though most of them had guns. Those were easily taken away from them."

Jim nodded slowly, "I never taught them how to fight. It was always hide and run. Never fight. The missions we make are supposed to be secret, not shouted out to the world. Most certainly not pirates."

They went up the steps to the deck. Jim's mouth went open. He knew the cyborg, the leader of the pirates.

"Where is your son?!" he asked Sinbad with a growl.

"I didn't bring him on this ship. He's somewhere safe."

He scoffed. "And I suppose this is your ship, too, sea-man?"

"As a matter of fact –" Sinbad began.

Jim interrupted, "It's my ship, Silver."

Silver didn't turn toward him, but he scoffed. "You sound like a boy, 'captain.' I feel much more inclined to believe this idiot is the captain, since he called all the shots."

Jim gave a small chuckle, "He locked me in my office in order to take control over the ship, Silver. I admit that was stupid of me to allow him to do that, but I hadn't expected it. Ask the crew, they follow me."

The crew gave nods and murmurs to show their agreement. Sinbad was fuming.

"Something I find surprising, Silver," Jim continued, "Is that you are not looking at me. Do you recgonize my voice and just not want to turn around?"

"You know my name. No one does. Who are you?" Silver asked.

"You don't want to turn around and know for yourself?"

"No."

"You certain? Huh... does the name 'Jim' ring a bell to you?"

Silver swung around instantly, "Jimbo!" he shouted in surprise. He then went right to him and hugged him tightly. "It's you!"

Jim hugged back.

"Is this a joke?!" Sinbad asked angrily.

"What's this man doing on your ship?" Silver asked, pulling away and pointing to him as though he were some strange essence.

"I'm not quite so sure anymore," Jim said, almost contemptuous, "I take it you are the cyborg he was trying to get away from."

Silver nodded.

"Why are you after him?" Jim asked.

"You don't know?" Silver asked in surprise.

"Should I?" Jim asked. Before Silver could say anything, "First, can you release my crew? I'd like to have them back. You must also promise not to take Hogarth, as it seems that was your intention of this. And, I want you, me, and Sinbad in a room together to get this sorted out."

Silver nodded in agreement, snapping his fingers. He then grabbed onto Sinbad's arm and followed Jim into his office, which Jim closed behind them.

"All right, now tell me so that I understand what is going on."

"This man hates me," Sinbad said, "That's all there is to it."

"But _why_?" Jim asked. "I know I have a reason to hate you, but what is his reason? You said you've never met him before."

Silver calmly sat down in a chair and said to Jim, "Do you recognize Sinbad as he is known?"

"Should I?"

Silver chuckled, "You have become a very smart lad, Jimbo!"

"Shut up about that!" Sinbad said, "What is your point about us knowing each other?"

"Father and son." Silver said softly, watching them closely.

Jim and Sinbad looked at each other instantly in the same time. Jim could see it... This man was the man that left him and his mother. Then he remembered. His mother had had a baby, and soon after that his father left, he'd been told that the baby died in birth and that they couldn't have a funeral.

"Hogarth isn't Marina's then," Jim said softly, "He is Sarah's... my mother's."

Sinbad nodded.

Jim then scowled, "I could've been perfectly fine not knowing _you,_ of _all_ people, are my father."

"What's so wrong about that...?" Sinbad asked, seemingly wanting to make up with Jim.

"Hah!" Silver said, "You know the answer to that _Leland Hawkins_!"

"I don't go by that name anymore!" Sinbad said angrily.

"Ah, that's right. You are now Sinbad the pirate." Silver said.

Jim did not know what to do upon hearing that. All he did was sit in the chair behind his desk and groan inwardly. A pirate, his dad never returned home because he became a pirate. Oh, what would his mother think about that?

"A very bad form of one, too. Married a woman without divorcing the first woman he had." Silver added.

"Stop!" Sinbad said.

"Why? This is the side of you that Jimbo never knew about. Best not to hide that from him, especially knowing he's become way more successful than you."

Sinbad clenched his fists.

Jim stood up, "I'm getting the ship back on track. Do you want to come along on our trip, Silver?"

"Why yes, I do," Silver said with a smile, standing as well, "My ship will travel side-by-side with yours."

Later on, Jim and Silver were catching up in Jim's office. Kayley was in the room as well. She wanted to get to know the man who changed Jim to the man he was now. Silver even liked her, asking her many questions about her life.

"Oh! I almost forgot," Jim then said, standing up and going to where he left Morph to sleep whenever he got tired. "Morph, we have a visitor."

Morph wiped his eyes, looked up to see Silver, and instantly let out exclamations of excitement, floating right to Silver.

"Morph!" Silver said happily, "Who's a good boy? I missed you..."

Jim smiled, "Morph and I missed you. Hadn't expected to meet you almost taking over my ship though."

Silver laughed, "I hadn't expected to see you already captaining your own ship. In your early twenties, too!"

"I've had this crew for a number of years already."

Silver's mouth dropped open. "You are a natural leader, then!"

"Of a space ship." Jim said with a smile.

"And you, Kayley, are you a leader?"

"No, I'm a follower," Kayley said humorously, extracting a chuckle from both Jim and Silver, "I'm a Knight of the Round Table, I follow the rules of King Arthur... and now on this ship, the rules of Captain Hawkins."

"Sounds like a switch you should keep to." Silver said, "Jimbo is more amazing than any king."

"I don't know about that." Jim said, laughing until he heard the small knock at the door. "Come in."

In peaked Hogarth, just showing his head.

"Something wrong?" Jim asked him worriedly.

Hogarth shook his head. "Um... dad told me the news... that you're my brother... and Marina is still my stepmother..."

Jimgave a small chuckle at 'still my stepmother' but said seriously, "It is true."

Hogarth then ran straight in and surprised Jim with a hug. Jim was slow to react, but soon hugged him back... his own little brother, and he had no feelings of hate toward him as most brothers have with each other. He smiled to himself at the warm feeling he got, knowing Hogarth as his brother.


	14. Chapter 14

Everything was back on track as Jim described the mission to Silver. He could see a change in Silver, though he was still a pirate, but he hugged him in front of his own crew, which he'd always been awkward in at the spur of the moment on the Treasure Planet mission.

"The Golden Staff of Ybonzo," he'd said in awe, "You going to get a good reward for it?"

"I don't know," Jim said with a smile, "It's a possibility considering how important it is for the island asking for it. I've given the books on the staff to Kayley so she can know it's magical properties and hopefully we can find some way in getting it off of the planet safe and sound... If I do, though, I will give you a share of whatever I earn from it."

Silver laughed and patted him on the back, "Ah, there's a good lad!"

"So, I have a question," Jim said.

"Ask it, m'boy."

"What were you planning to do with Hogarth once you got him?" Jim had been very curious about Silver's plans on Hogarth since he found out it was him who had been trying to get to him.

"Ah..." Silver moaned, scratching the back of his head nervously.

Jim smiled, "I won't kill you for what you wanted to do, unless it had to do with killing him knowing he's my little brother... in fact, how did you even find out that Sinbad was my _dad_."

Silver chuckled, "I missed you so much that I figured that young boy would fill the hole in my heart after I left ye... as for yer dad, knowing everything you'd told me about him I went on a mission, as you'd put it, to find him. I don't feel right giving any details on how I did that."

"I'll leave that alone then... is it possible that you might be able to stay here on the White Whale and take Hogarth under your supervision? I have my duties to do... I can't always stick around to play with him, at least not until the mission is over." Jim said, looking down at his feet.

"Anything for you, Jimbo... I need the kitchen, though," Silver said, wagging his mechanical finger in front of Jim.

Jim laughed, "Well, then you have three to help you now. Hogarth, of course, B.E.N. and Kayley."

"Hey! More fun with Hogarth _and_ Lady Kayley, ho ho ho what a joy!"

The two couldn't help their laughing.

"Don't beat yourself over the head with it, I was never a favorite of Hogarth's anyways." Marina said, trying to console Sinbad. Hogarth had been spending more and more time with Captain Hawkins... Jim...wanting to get to know him and his biological mother.

"I just can't believe I never noticed that Captain Hawkins _is_ my son. Didn't realize his last name or his face... his face is like Sarah's."

"... And his eyes are like yours, did you notice that as well?"

"What, did you happen to look him in the eyes lately? No! I only see your eyes... that's it, I don't look anybody in the eyes." Sinbad spat irritably.

"You should," she said with emphasis, and then went to leave the room.

"Where are you going?" Sinbad asked, getting more irritated.

"I don't want to stay in a room with you if you're going to snap at me, so I'll be out and about and _doing something_."

"Look, if you're still mad at me for keeping you in the kitchen –"

She left.

Sinbad swore softly.

"Ya ready to swear a little more?" a voice asked. Silver.

Sinbad swore loudly this time. "What the hell are you doing in my room?"

Silver's footsteps drew closer to Sinbad who wouldn't turn around to look him. "Thought I'd have a little talk with ya."

"There's nothing to talk about, go away."

Silver sat next to him, "Ah, now," he tsked, "How can you say that? I'm bursting with questions, and I'd like them to be answered."

Sinbad rolled his eyes, "What is it?"

"Why'd you leave young Jimbo and his mother? Didn't ye love 'em?"

He finally looked up at Silver, feeling the pain of his past hit him as he had wished it wouldn't. Sighing, Sinbad said, "I... I couldn't handle the responsibility anymore. I could see I wasn't living up to the expectation of a father to Jim nor a husband to Sarah. I _was_ a pirate then, though they didn't know it, and I only wanted the best for them... So I left."

"Ah..." Silver said, seemingly understanding his reason.

"It wasn't easy," Sinbad continued, "In fact, I remember once when he was five or six... I came home after a long voyage and," he paused to give a small chuckle. "He had just finished making a model ship and excitedly stood up to show it to me." Then he gave a frown, "And all I did was ruffle his hair and walk on by."

"You never even tried to have a relationship with him."

Sinbad shook his head, "I was more interested in making things up with Sarah. That was when Hogarth was conceived and I realized I couldn't be a good enough father of two kids so I told her I'd have to leave and never come back."

"How'd ye come to get Hogarth then?"

"Sarah insisted she couldn't take care of two kids on her own... and I knew how close she was to Jim so I took the baby when it was born."

Silver was very serious as he looked Sinbad over. "You couldn't take care of a eleven to twelve year old boy, but you could of a baby? Is that what you thought? If so, that must be the dumbest thought I've ever heard."

Sinbad shrugged his shoulders, "I suppose it was idiotic, but I was off. I hardly took care of Hogarth myself anyways, I was always captaining the ship, and the crew took care of him." He then laughed, "In fact, you could say that the rest of the crew were his mothers."

Silver hardly gave a smile.

Sinbad frowned again. "I remember, before you came along on the ship... seeing Jim, Captain Hawkins, playing with Hogarth. In his fairly short free time, too. I had been shocked at his dedication to keeping him as entertained as possible before he had to work again. Then I thought about how you wouldn't know Jim, so you wouldn't go looking for Hogarth in his hands... imagine that though, I didn't like him at first and he ends up being my son."

"Why?"

"I suppose... because he is young and seemed very well taught in captaining a ship. His crew follows him without question and actually enjoys his company as he enjoys theirs. It's quite an accomplishment for a first crew of his."

"And?"

He sighed, "I knew he was the age of my son, which he is, and it worried me because of his last name. I never told Kale, Rat, or Marina about my suspicions, I just kept it to myself until you said something about it... then I knew. It was also easy to see he hadn't thought of that."

"And he's very unhappy about it. Said something about you pursuing him with a candlestick in order to control his crew."

"He's going to continue to hold that to me? I didn't know he was my son yet..."

"Jimbo's like me. He hates to lose, and you prevailed him there."

"I didn't hit him though... that was my first thought, but then I got him to a corner and realized I could leave him there."

"Hmm..." Silver scratched his chin thoughtfully, "Perhaps it has been the best that you left Jim and his mother..."

"How?"

"He might not have become so successful. Would be on that ship with you and not have ever become captain of a wonderful ship and crew. He'd be under your command... perhaps even be happy about it at first."

"You think so?" Sinbad asked.

Silver gave a nod.

Kayley had overheard the conversation, couldn't help herself, and she went off to tell Jim about what she'd just heard. He might, perhaps, even try to have a relationship with Sinbad.


	15. Chapter 15

Jim sat contemplating what Kayley just told him, wanting to scoff or snort but not in front of her. She was set on him making up with his father, perhaps in order to get to know him again... yet, the truth was, Jim never knew him, he was always a stranger.

They were in his office where Jim stood by his window feeling troubled by her motive.

"You'll forgive him?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I had always wanted to bond with him... have some time to spend with him, when I was younger. Every time I tried to say something to him, he'd push me away... he's not trying now anyways, and even if he did, I'm not going to just forgive him. He was never a father to me."

"Then _who_ was? Since you know so much of it..." Kayley asked exasperatedly.

"Silver was more of my father than Sinbad ever was. He actually made a relationship with me and taught me things..." Jim said, reminiscing. Then he let out a chuckle, "Funny how both of them end up being pirates. What a strange thing."

Kayley shrugged her shoulders, "I still think you should try to be close to him. You only have one biological dad, cherish him."

"Why?" Jim demanded sharply, turning away from her to look at the course ahead.

She sighed, and walked over to him, standing right in front of him. "Without him you wouldn't be here, and I'm going to guess that just about no one else would've found Treasure Planet _or_ have taken this trip. Think about it... you're a _legend_ to the rest of the galaxy."

He looked into her eyes, sadly and silently. She had such determination in her eyes that he felt he didn't dare say no.

"I think that this galaxy, without you, would be in crumbles," Kayley went on, and then her eyes lowered. "Your crew wouldn't be the men they are today and, more importantly to me, I would never have met you."

Jim tossed that around in his thoughts. _Kayley_, he thought to himself, _likes me_.

With his hand, Jim held her chin and brought her face up to look at his. He continued for her, though it probably wasn't what she was expecting. "And I wouldn't be alive to meet such a dazzling, smart, and brave woman... nor would you get this." Slowly, Jim slanted his mouth across hers and kissed her softly.

Kayley certainly was taken aback by this, but she didn't stop him.


	16. Chapter 16

Jim sighed, straightening his jacket before walking into Sinbad's room. He stood in the doorway, feeling awkward, not wanting to talk to his dad... but Kayley had insisted.

Sinbad looked up at the doorway in surprise. "Oh... hi."

Jim gave a small nod, "Um.. will you come talk with me in my office.. in private?"

Sinbad nodded, standing up and following Jim. Jim's hands sweated with anticipation. How was he more nervous with this than he had been in kissing Kayley? At age of fifteen he wouldn't have even dared doing that, but would have been pleased to have a talk with his dad. If only for a few minutes even...

_I seem to be going into my office for talks a lot more on this trip than usual_, Jim thought to himself once closing the door behind them.

Jim gestured towards a seat for Sinbad to sit, which he did, and Jim sat behind the desk in his chair with a sigh. With his hands on the table, he crossed his fingers together and, while just watching his hands, said, "I admit I've been a bit unfair concerning you. I should be excited and _want_ to get to know you... but that's not so, and I do apologize for my _childish_ behavior."

Sinbad was silent, and Jim still hadn't looked at him. When he finally spoke, his voice cracked. "You haven't been childish at all, I understand why you'd hate me. You've actually been very professional about it... I should admit that _I_ am the childish one."

"How long have you been a pirate?" Jim asked curiously.

"Since I was your age." Sinbad said. "I met your mother shortly after I became one and thought to try to settle down... with some trips to sea in looting lost treasures. In my thirties I met Marina and went back to your mother to tell her I was leaving but then...-"

"What?"

"I... couldn't. I just couldn't break it to her that I wanted someone else, instead I said I had to go on a long trip that could take many years. She believed me and I spent a year with you two and she then had Hogarth, who I agreed to take with me."

"Why would she agree for you to take Hogarth instead of me?"

"She didn't... I told her I was taking you, and that morning I carried Hogarth out, fast asleep, instead of you."

"Did you even realize the problem in that?"

"Well, no, I had Marina and the rest of the crew to be his mothers–"

"No, no, no," Jim interrupted. Sinbad looked at him confusedly. "That's not it at all. It's that _I_ _wanted_ to come with you."

"You... did?"

Jim nodded. "You always brushed me off to the side. I always thought you never wanted anything to do with me; thought I wasn't enough for you. If you had asked me to come, I would have done so eagerly, no doubt about it, I _wanted_ to prove myself to you. That I could be what you wanted."

Sinbad looked down in shame. What had he done? "I am so sorry, Jim... I have always cared for you. I'm just uncertain with myself on taking care of kids."

Jim smirked and looked up at his father, "Looks like you did pretty well by Hogarth."


	17. Chapter 17

"Land ho!"

Kayley scrambled to the deck upon hearing those simple words. It was an actual shock that they were already there. Or did the time actually just go by really fast for her...?

Jim was at the wheel, leaning against it on his elbows and looking through a pair of binoculars. Putting it down to try looking without it, he turned just slightly and saw Kayley, giving her the biggest smile she'd ever seen.

At the crew meeting, Jim laid out the maps of the dangerous galaxy they had entered. There at the edge of it was safest according to one of the maps, so he decided on a having a small amount of people explore the galaxy in the small space boats instead of everyone on the ships.

"Silver will choose a handful of his crew to go and a handful of mine will choose to go along with me if they please..." there's Jim for you, always allowing his crew members to decide for themselves. "We'll take different patrols around until we can find it, and Silver and I will have our transmitters to tell each other whether we've found it or have gotten into trouble. Then we can track where they are to either help them or follow along to get the staff. Now.. any questions?"

Nobody spoke, taking in the intensively complicated mission before them. Some of them.

"All right, Lady Kayley?" Jim moved out of the way.

Kayley replaced his spot, feeling slightly nervous. Jim made it look so easy to talk to these people, pirates and all. "The staff, as the books have said, is hidden in a secret cavern guarded by booby traps and pirates that have continued the legacy of Vitallen to keeping the staff out of boundaries to anyone. We don't know what may be there, so we have to be _very_ aware of our surroundings. Once we get the staff, we have to get out as fast as possible, for the books say that legend is that it is hidden inside an asteroid field that is covered with patrols. It'll be a tense ride, so it's best to have a small group and say nothing."

The room was tense after she said that. Now the whole thing seemed impossible.

"Well, let's not let this get us down," Kayley said, trying to be optimistic, "If we can keep low and not draw attention to ourselves, it will be easy."

Optimism helps only so much.

"Thank you, Lady Kayley," Jim said, switching places with her. "Now, we'll split to figure out who's going and then we'll be on our way."

Jim's crew gather together and Jim asked, "Who will be coming with me?"

Kayley raised her hand, "I will."

Sinbad gave a nod, "I will."

Jim looked at everyone else who all looked at each other. The fear in their eyes was enough for Jim to say, "All right, so just the three of us."

"Take me with you!" they heard someone shout. It was Hogarth, running toward Jim.

Jim knelt down to be eye-to-eye with him, "_No_, this is for us wimps to handle... I'm giving you the more difficult task. Do you feel up to the challenge?"

Hogarth's eyes widened excitedly.

Jim chuckled, "I thought so... I want you to take care of the crew and your step mom while we're gone." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "They can get pretty frightened when they worry about me. Just make sure they know I'll come back, calm them down –"

"I can hear you captain!" they heard Pleakley shout.

Jim and Hogarth burst into laughter.

Sinbad watched on with fascination. Jim really had a knack for kids... H_e must have gotten that from his mother_, he thought.

Kayley hurried up to Jim, who stood so she could talk to him. She whispered something to him, and as they whispered back and forth Jim started to look grave. _What was wrong?_

Jim then went over to Silver, who was still choosing his crew members, to whisper what he supposed was that same thing. He had the same expression, but then nodded... Jim gave him atransmitter then.

He left Silver and called out, "I need to see Lady Kayley, Sinbad, Marina, Kale, Rat, and Jumba in my office, _now_!"

_Did we do something wrong?_

They all filed into the office in front of Jim who closed the door behind them.

"I have some news," he said. "Lady Kayley has found something that – Sinbad – you may not want to be in there with us."

Jim was staring right at Sinbad, who was thoroughly confused and worried. "What?"

"Once getting the staff, we'll have to quickly put it in our small boat and set it so it goes straight back to this ship. It will be the quickest way to get it out without us – so it's not caught when the explosion happens –"

"_Explosion_?!" Jumba shrieked. "Jim –"

"Jumba, please..." Jim said. "When getting the staff, we'll run and get it in, then just stay while the staff gets back." He turned to Marina, Rat and Kale, "Once the staff comes to you, I want you to three to take control of the ship and _get out of there_. My crew will protest, but you know they can't fight you, you're better at combat." He went over to his desk and opened a drawer to take out two more transmitters. He handed it to Marina and put the other in his pocket. Looking to Sinbad and Kayley again, he asked, "You don't have to go with me. I could go alone with Silver – as his crew members will probably not want to risk their lives –"

"Why not just have Silver go alone?" Sinbad asked. Jim didn't have to go, right?

Jim sighed, "It's the mission that _we_ get the staff. I'm grateful for Silver's help and.. I guess after what we went through together on Treasure Planet it's only fitting we do this one together."

"But Jim..." Jumba said sadly, "Your promise to Sarah..."

Jim looked grave again.. "I – I know, Jumba, but... this is a sacrifice I'm willing to make."

Sinbad and Kayley traded looks, and then looked to Jim. "We're going with you."

He gave a nod, still looking grave. "You sure Sinbad? Hogarth –"

"Marina will take care of him," Sinbad said, looking at Marina, tears coming down her face. He walked over to her... this was the last time he would see her. He wiped her tears said, "I love you..." and kissed her.

Jim looked down at his feet, feeling bad. "Jumba, when the ship lands back on Earth, show Marina and Hogarth to our house. I bet Hogarth would want to meet his mother... that is if it's all right with Sinbad."

Sinbad pulled away from Marina just to say, "Yes, of course it's all right."

Everyone in the room was crying except for Kayley and Jim, who just glanced at each other from time to time.

They all walked out of his office, but Jim stayed there and soon called out, "Silver!"

Silver came into his office.

"Close the door..." Jim said softly, and Silver did.

They were in there for a while in which Sinbad and Kayley stood watching it. Indeed, none of Silver's crew wanted to come with him. His first mate, Vinny, had the transmitter and would take control of Silver's ship when Marina, Rat, and Kale got the staff.

To know they would die on this trip made Sinbad think about everything he'd done in his life and he felt he could burst into tears. Life as a pirate... leaving Sarah and Jim to fend for themselves... if he could have one more chance he would take it. But, dying alongside Jim was something to die for.

They came out and nodded to Kayley and Sinbad.

"Let's go," Jim said, leading the way down to the bottom of the ship where the small boats were. Silver, Sinbad, and Kayley took their seats in the boat while Jim untied it. Once done he pulled the lever to open the bottom of the boat, jumped in next to Silver and together they steered the boat out and away from the ship.

They rode in silence, the only sound was of the engine of the boat.

Kayley thought to herself about what this would mean and felt bad about taking this huge responsibility where she knew she would die. Then her mother will have lost her too... but were she not to go, Jim still would, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to lose him as well... What would Garrett, Devon and Cornwall think when they suddenly realized she wasn't coming back?

Jim watched Kayley with worry, she seemed lost in thought – possibly about what her mother and friends would do with her death. He looked to Sinbad... his own dad decided to die with him, now how better to work for forgiveness than to do that?

What Jim was surprised about was not seeing any patrols around, he looked all over the place – there was no where to hide.

The one odd thing when they had the planet in sight was that it looked more like an island than a planet. The whole thing was a huge castle... strange that it was sculpted so differently... Well, that was good, it at least didn't mean they had to find the center of the whole thing such as with Treasure Planet.

They reached the landing, Silver and Jim tied the boat to a tree nearby. _How did thing grow trees?_ Looking around Jim knew it was a good plan to bring two transmitters, there were two paths winding different ways. Taking his out he pressed the button and said in it, "We have reached land. We'll split into pairs to follow the two different paths."

"I'll go with Sinbad," Silver said. Sinbad sighed and nodded.

"Okay, so then Lady Kayley and I will be together. We'll go down the right path, you two go to the left." Jim said.


	18. Chapter 18

"Are you matchmaking, or something?" Sinbad asked Silver once he was sure Jim and Kayley were on their path and they were on theirs. Way out of earshot.

"Ah, so you've caught onto my game, eh?" Silver asked with a laugh.

Sinbad smiled, despite his sinking heart knowing he would die. "Think I haven't seen the way they look at each other? I think it was especially clear when land was spotted, they seemed to just beam at each other..."

"They are very compatible, both strong and the best of the best in their fields."

With a nod, Sinbad said, "If only we weren't dying... if they were to marry, I could be there for his wedding. At least be there for something –"

"Ye're being there for him now," Silver said. "Stop beating yerself up about it. Ye're being with him to the death, and allowing for him to give orders for Hogarth to meet his mother... Jimbo and I may have been tough with ye, but ye _are_ trying. That's all Jimbo could ever ask for."

He sighed. "But for most of his life... being with him to death just doesn't sum up how much I owe to him."

Silver looked sad.

"And Hogarth. He'll be losing me _and_ his newfound brother. He'll be so griefed... at least for Jim."

"Ah, come off it!" Silver said. "Hogarth cares for ye too!"

"I don't know about that, and anyways once he meets Sarah then Marina will be on her own – perhaps get married to the man she was betrothed to before I stole her away... or should I say before she left him for me... Hogarth has never been a fan of Marina." Sinbad said. "He's always known she wasn't his real mother and has resented me for it... been wanting to meet his real mother since the age of five."

"And he now gets his wish..." Silver said softly. "But, ye know, I would think he'd want to see his mother and father together... Sarah would want ye back."

"Surely she doesn't want to see me – I'll bet she's married since –"

"As far as Jimbo has let on... she's still single."

Sinbad was surprised, "Really, truly?"

"_Yeah_!" Silver said, rather enthusiastically. "... Are ye truly in love with Marina?"

Sinbad nodded. "I love her so much... we've had our fights with each other, but we make it up to each other in the end."

Silver smiled, "That's a nice relationship, that."

"I wish I could make it up to Sarah somehow, though... I still loved her when I left her but I didn't want her to be in trouble were I to get into a tiff with someone at sea. Wanted to keep her and Jim protected... I should have left Hogarth, then I wouldn't have been so afraid for his safety when you were after me.

"Think about it though... without that happening, ye wouldn't have found Jimbo. Wouldn't have even _looked_ fer him, I suppose!"

Sinbad shook his head, "He'd left my thoughts when I left... I'm so proud of him now, though, that I've found him in control of his own ship at so young an age."

"And ye should feel no differently than _that,_" he took a bottle out of his pocket. "Here, drink this. It's some water, it'll last you until we get there."

On the other path, now far across the island, Jim and Kayley walked together. The silence was tense and Kayley wondered what was going through his mind.

He finally spoke. "I have a feeling our mothers will be petrified by the news..." Such a sad first sentence, but she understood what was going through his mind now. He was worried about the impact of their deaths.

"My mother has lived through my father's death... I have hope that she can survive through mine." Kayley admitted that was probably not very helpful, but it was her strongest hope.

He looked up at her, sadness in his eyes. "To think we'll be dying so young," then he snorted, "Oh, the chief will certainly be in tears."

Kayley laughed, it was shaky but it calmed her down a bit. "She _will_ miss you."

He shrugged.

"I have never seen you shrug before," she mused out loud – accidentally. "Oh! I mean... uhm..."

Jim burst into laughter, not shaky but actually quite amused. It took a bit for him to stand straight again – being as he was laughing so hard that he couldn't even walk straight. "I actually haven't shrugged since I was _fifteen_! I thought old habits died, apparently _not_!"

Kayley giggled. _I guess when you're really nervous, you can't stop laughing._

Jim and Kayley looked at each other at the same time – their eyes locked and they stopped walking. Jim walked toward her, wrapped his arms around her waist and crushed his lips to hers. She instantly wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back fervently. One last kiss before their death and they found they didn't want to stop.

Kayley was finally the one to pull away, both of them breathless. "We should..."

He nodded reluctantly and they let go of each other. "Kayley... I love you."

Her mouth dropped open slightly, "I – I love you..."

They did held hands for the rest of the way.

They saw the Golden Staff of Ybonzo ahead, but before Jim could get the transmitter out they saw that Sinbad and Silver were already there. "So – both paths lead to the same place then?" Jim called out.

"Yeah!" Silver called back, amusement in his voice. "Yours was longer than ours, it seems!"

Jim and Kayley traded embarassed looks.

"Hahaha!" Silver laughed. "Saw that!"

"Cut them some slack, Silver," Sinbad said as they drew nearer. "We're all going to die, might as well allow them the chance to kiss in peace."

Jim looked over at the staff. It was in the middle of the large clearing, standing up thanks to a hole in the ground – once it was take out it would probably set off the bomb. That and he knew from Kayley that there were many booby traps leading up to it. "I'll go through this to get the staff – hey, don't worry if I'm going to die.. we're all going to die anyways."

Sinbad and Kayley had almost protested, but his last remark shut them up.

"We just don't want to see you die – we'd rather die _with_ you," Sinbad said.

Jim gave him a grateful glance, a small smile tugging at his lips, and jumped into the circle. To just about everyone's surprise, he dodged everything – knives were thrown at him, knight statues suddenly appeared and tried throwing a blow to his head with clubs and swords and he jumped before saws came up out of the ground to saw him in half. When he reached the club, even Silver was shocked.

"Jimbo!" Silver said. "_Where_ did you learn that?"

"The academy teaches _wonders_," Jim said.

"I could have just taken it all out for you," he said, showing his robotic arm.

"Then use it now so I can get out easily."

"Could it take out the bomb?" Sinbad asked hopefully, starting to feel dizzy.

Silver shook his head sadly, "It'll do anything else... but bombs have to be stopped by hand. And since there's no chance of us reaching our hand down there, then the bomb will still set off." He then proceeded to press buttons on his arm, disabling everything.

Sinbad suddenly fell over, unconscious. Kayley gasped in shock, starting to feel dizzy herself. She looked to Jim and Silver, who weren't as surprised.

"What's happening?! This isn't –"

"I know, Kayley..." Jim said softly, staring into her eyes. "Everything will be all right."

She fell to the floor next to Sinbad, now unconscious too.

Jim sighed, "They'll be mad at us when they get to the ship."

Silver nodded, "I know Jimbo, but they won't be able to do anything to us then because we'll die."

He nodded too, "All right... I'm taking it out, do you have the handcuffs ready?"

"Hold..." Silver said, taking the handcuffs out of his pocket and handcuffing one end to Sinbad's left wrist. He hid the key tightly under his pirate cap – certain it wouldn't fall out. "Okay, come quick."

Jim took the staff out, hearing the ticking start and ran over to Silver. They had a half an hour and it would take them twenty five minutes to get Kayley and Sinbad to the boat. Within five minutes, the two of them on the ship with the staff would be away when the place blew. Were Jim and Silver to go with them, it would take longer to get away and they would be caught in the bomb, destroying the staff and killing them all. Jim wanted to keep Sinbad and Kayley alive and since his mother would have Hogarth and Silver had nothing else to look forward to, they were staying.

From pictures of the staff in his books, Jim had known the staff had a large hole in the middle of it and so devised the plan to handcuff Sinbad and Kayley to it. He handed the staff to Silver, who slipped the other end of the handcuff through the hole and attached it to Kayley's right wrist.

Silver carried Sinbad, Jim carried Kayley, and they ran at their quickest to get to the boat in time. Once getting there they lay them down in it very carefully, making sure they were safely in before Jim set the boat to move its fastest back to the ship. He pressed a light kiss to Kayley's forehead and clasped Sinbad's free hand in his own before leaning back and watching the boat sail away from them.

Silver put his arm around Jim and sighed. "Ye ready to die, Jimbo?"

He looked up at Silver with tear-filled eyes, "With you, yes."


	19. Chapter 19

Sinbad slowly regained consciousness, _Did we die already? Am I in heaven?... I don't think so, I've got a neck pain – I shouldn't be feeling anything._ He opened his eyes and in his shock sat up quickly.

Kayley woke shortly after.

"What happened? Why are we –" Sinbad began.

Kayley sat up, and looked to where they were coming from. "_No_!" she shrieked, and went to work on changing the course for the boat... but just then there was a great explosion. The island planet burst. The bits and pieces landed a short distance away from their boat... they survived.

"They... they knocked us out..." Sinbad realized, feeling like his heart just froze. "Silver gave me something to drink before we found the staff... said it was water..."

"Jim – Jim kissed me..." Kayley recalled. The wonderful kiss.. it wasn't just one last kiss for them, but it was a good bye from him. He and Silver had planned for Kayley and Sinbad to go back with the staff.

Sinbad was just horrified, Jim had saved his life when he hadn't done anything for him. But once he saw that Kayley was crying, he was about to catch her in a hug when he realized his left hand and Kayley's right hand were attached together to the staff. So with just his right arm, he pulled Kayley close in a sort of half hug. She cried into his shoulder.

The boat got back into the ship – which was already moving away from the remains, they could just hear the crew crying – where Jumba and Kale stood in wait to get the staff and tie the boat up. They were surprised to see who sat there.

"Sinbad?! Lady Kayley?!" Kale shouted in surprise.

Jumba tied the boat up and they continued to sit there, still in quiet shock.

"What are you doing –?"

"Captain Hawkins and Silver knocked us out..." Sinbad managed to get out. He then raised his left arm, in turn raising Kayley's right. "And did this. We thought we were going to die with them..." he choked up, "but it looks like they had other plans." He put his arm down, and that was when Vinny came in holding a gun.

"All right men –" he started to say, and then saw them. "What are _you_ doing alive?"

"The doing of your captain and Captain Hawkins...," Sinbad said slowly. "What are _you _doing with a gun?"

"I want my staff back," he said, "so hand it over."

"Your staff...," Kayley said softly and then she suddenly looked indignant. "_You're_ Vitallen!"

Sinbad's eyes widened.

He nodded, a smirk on his face.

"Did –?" Sinbad started.

"No, Silver did not know!" Vitallen snapped. "How about I tell you my story? Yes, you probably think I should be dead by now, but not only does the staff give bountiful life to an island... it gives eternal life. Have you noticed I've been getting older as the trip continues on? I need only touch the staff and I continue looking as I did when I stole it."

In fact, no one had been paying any attention to him during the trip. He'd had such a perfect disguise.

"I had just gotten back from a trip to be with my precious staff when I heard that they were going to send a crew out _yet again_. I decided I should come along for this trip except for that the chief wouldn't allow it – I didn't have the credentials. So – with my men – I went to find another way to be a part of it.

"Silver showed up, saying he needed a crew. We could easily overpower him, as they are all under _my_ command. So we followed him for a while. He told us of Jim Hawkins, and you, Leland Hawkins, so called Sinbad. He wanted Hogarth.

"Later I had news from one of my most trusted sources that _Jim Hawkins_ was taking the trip to get the staff. Not only that, but when you got away from us, _you were a part of his crew._ I told Silver about the ship he was taking, but not of its captain. To my delight, he instantly went after you.

"Silver being the only one to go with you, your son, and _Lady Kayley_ was the best part of the plan. Get rid of the idiot who thinks he's in charge and of those who are best in fighting... I guess that didn't go according to our thoughts... Now _give me my staff!_"

"Would if we could..." Sinbad said.

"_What do you mean by that?! Give me my staff!_" Vitallen's face got redder and redder with anger. He was also getting older as the time passed.

_Stall him! Stall him!_ Sinbad thought to himself. "Silver was not as dumb as you think him to be. He knew none of the crew truly followed him, because he knows what it's like to be you... an undercover sailer – but that he's always been a pirate – he knew he was losing his touch in getting crew members which was why he settled for you fake ones. He knew you were the leader of the whole group, which was why he kept you at second in charge –"

"_He did **not** know!"_ Vitalled screeched. He didn't seem so sure though... he looked more flustered. _"Give me my staff!_"

Sinbad raised his left arm again, Kayley her right, and Vitallen's eyes widened with horror. "_What have you done?!"_

"More like what Silver and my son did," Sinbad said smugly.

Vitallen took deep breaths and then smiled, "No matter. I can always cut your hands off."

Sinbad looked down, _Okay that's not helpful_.

"You won't get anywhere near us!" Kayley said, surprisingly brave at a moment like this. "We will fight!"

Vitallen aimed his gun at them, but Kayley whipped out her sword and deflected the bullet. So both Kayley and Jim could surprise people... they would have been great together... Sinbad took his own sword out.

Vitallen actually looked scared.

They heard screams above them. Kale and Jumba went to look out the windows Jim had placed just to be able to see out in case something happened and someone was down there. They went into fits of laughter.

"_What_?!" Vitallen shrieked.

"Looks like all your men are being thrown over... yup, all of your men and none of ours! Haha!" Jumba said victoriously. "Huzzah! Where is your army now?"

He dropped his gun, seemingly paralyzed.

Kale went to the other side where the other windows were. "Ah, our men are also burning your ship down. Looks like you're stuck with us Vitallen."

Kayley and Sinbad stood up and got out of the boat. They advanced toward Vitallen threateningly, their swords pointed at him and the staff well out of his reach.

"What will your choice be now, Vitallen?" Kayley asked, hate in her eyes.

"Come quietly?... Or fight? You know who will win." Sinbad said, hate also in his eyes.

"You – you aren't blaming me for the death of the captains, are you?" he asked, worry in _his_ eyes.

"They wouldn't have ended their lives and kept us alive for any reason but your bomb," Sinbad said. "My own son... I only just found him again and thanks to you he's dead. I would kill you right this moment if the law didn't come into play here."

"And you?" he looked at Kayley then. "Fall in love did you?" A huge fail at a tease.

"_Yes_," she said firmly, "and my feelings are the same as Sinbad's on this."

Vitallen gave a nervous laugh and then was about to bolt when his way was blocked by Jim's crew, cracking their knuckles warningly.

"We heard everything, you foul, foul thing!" Pleakley shouted.

"You killed the best captain anyone could ever have..." Dmitri said, advancing toward him. He, along with Donnathon, Dabber and Thad, grabbed hold of Vitallen and went to place him in the brig. They all searched him for anything that he could use to get out – which was a lot of things they threw overboard – and then threw him in.

Kayley breathed deeply then, leaning against the wall for support. Sinbad understood.

Marina ran in and caught Sinbad in a hug, he was too slow to respond for her. "What's wrong?"

Sinbad's mouth was open, but no sound came out. He lost his voice now that the criminal behind it all was behind bars on the ship. His thoughts went back to how that one man had fooled them all – possibly even Silver.

Kale went up to her and whispered a few things into her ear. He pulled her away from Kayley and Sinbad.

The two looked at each other and at the staff stuck between them, they then proceeded up the stairs and into Jim's office. They froze when they saw two neatly done envelopes on the table addressed to them.

They sat down in chairs close together and picked them up to read them.

Kayley's read:

Dearest Kayley,

I'm sorry for putting you in the boat back to the ship, therefore saving your life, but it's for the best. I realized it would be hard for your mother, knowing you live on a farm and she sometimes needs help with it. Also the death of your father still is hard on her _and_ you. Well, that's not exactly it... I don't want this trip to be the death of you. You were only needed for your knowledge of magical objects, not to give your life to it. Your life would be better suited to saving King Arthur, I've decided.

In case I don't get to it on our trip to the staff – I love you. I think I knew this when I first talked to you, you've always been so amazing to me. I am honored to have met you, even as I did on the last trip I will trek. I will probably die happier if I am sure you love me too, but dying alongside Silver is great by itself.

By the way, I will bet Vinny has told you that _he himself_ is Vitallen and he is the real leader of the pirate crew. Yes, Silver and I knew all along – Silver found out sometime during his travels with them in a meeting they'd all scheduled without him – and we know you and my father will have stopped him by the time you read this. You two, though handcuffed to the staff, would make a great team with your excellent sword-fighting skills. In the letter to my father I tell him where the key is, so you don't have to worry about that.

For the rest of this trip back to the space station, you're my dad's first mate. I'm making him captain – I trust that his judgment will be better than it was when he locked me in my office and nearly knocked me out.

With love,

Jim Hawkins

Kayley smiled, but tears continued down her cheek.

Sinbad's read:

To my father, Sinbad, Leland Hawkins,

I'm sorry, not telling you the real plan, but I just think that you and Kayley were the ones who needed to live. You have much more ahead of you... you have Marina and Hogarth to care for. Give my regards to Hogarth, I hadn't thought I would die on this trip, I suppose my survival in all my other trips made me believe I was invincible – if you've ever had that feeling you'd understand. Anyways, sure I am a captain of a ship of amazing men who I care for with all my heart, but you have a family to care for. I have my mother and friends – if you happen to remember Nani, she has a little sister named Lilo and their parents died about two years ago. They can tell you about what happened since then when you get there, like how Jumba and Pleakley became a part of the family.

I love you. You may not have always been there for me but since you found out who I was you have tried... it means a lot, it really does. I know you probably wanted to die with me to show your devotion – but in my conscience I couldn't let you. A death alongside Silver is the way it should go.. we worked together – sometimes against each other – through our first mission, it just makes sense to die with him.

By the way, I will bet Vinny has told you that _he himself_ is Vitallen and he is the real leader of the pirate crew. Yes, Silver and I knew all along – Silver found out sometime during his travels with them in a meeting they'd all scheduled without him – and we know you and Kayley will have stopped him by the time you read this. You two, though handcuffed to the staff, would make a great team with your excellent sword-fighting skills. Oh, and Silver put the key to the handcuffs in your pirate hat on your head (in case that's not the only pirate hat you have), so you're not stuck with Kayley.

For the rest of this trip back to the space station, you are the captain of the White Whale and Kayley is your first mate. This is written proof for my crew so they will follow your orders. Even after what happened when you locked me in my office and nearly knocked me out, I trust your judgment. The crew on your seaship seems to have fared quite well under your orders, so I know my crew is safe with you.

With love,

Jim Hawkins

Sinbad reached up into his hat and took out the small key, unlocking his hand and Kayley's hand out of captivity and placing the staff on the table. Kayley didn't seem to have noticed, she was seemingly frozen in place and in thought.


	20. Chapter 20

The trip back was slow and sad, no one could look each other in the air without bursting into tears. When they landed, the chief demanded a full story when she didn't see Captain Hawkins, but Sinbad, controlling the ship. The only ones with a clear enough mind who weren't all that close to Jim to recount what happened was Marina, Rat, Kale, Garrett, Devon and Cornwall.

The island got the staff back and were so grateful they all wanted to come to the ceremony for when the crew got their medals. The ceremony was also going to be a memorial for Jim and even Silver, for the chief surprisingly considered Silver a hero as well once she got the story of what happened on the planet from Sinbad and Kayley.

Vitallen went to jail for his crimes – with a few beatings from the chief for killing her 'best captain' – and died the next day in his cell.

Kayley went home to her mother, telling her all that happened. They cried together, Julianna for her gratefulness of Jim keeping Kayley alive. She wished she could have met him, or at least thank him for giving his life by saving Kayley's. She visited the Hawkins' home often, to Sarah's enjoyment. She made quick friends with Nani and Lilo. The whole household cried over Jim, it was a rather sad environment but Kayley rather enjoyed being in the home he grew into such a wonderful man in.

Sinbad and Marina went their separate ways, Marina knew the complications of Sinbad's situation. He made Kale the captain of his ship, deciding to retire from piracy. He followed Jumba and Pleakley to their home. They walked right in to the tears and hugs from Sarah. The chief had sent someone around to tell her that Jim had died.

When Sarah saw Sinbad, her hands went to her mouth in shock, tear-filled eyes looking at him surprise. She then jumped into his arms, hugging him as though he'd finally come home from a long journey. Once he pulled away, she looked at him questioningly. He stepped off to the side to show Hogarth.

"I named him Hogarth... just as you had wanted to name Jim," Sinbad said, his voice cracking.

"Mom?" Hogarth said, a sad smile on his face. They hugged each other rather tightly.

And so their family had added members but yet lost one... not really...

The day of the ceremony came and the auditorium was jam-packed with people. The crew got medals for being a part of the dangerous journey, Sinbad and Kayley got extra for taking down Vitallen and for taking part in retrieving the staff. They stood on the stage waiting to be allowed leave when the chief surprised them.

"Now for a special surprise," she said, a large smile on her face. "It came to me two days ago. Two men need medals – for being a part of it and for clever cunning when it comes to booby traps and who to really trust... _and_ for retrieving the staff and sacrificing their own lives to get the job done. Captain James Hawkins and Captain John Silver."

Sarah stood and the chief shook her head, "Actually Ms. Hawkins, we'll be giving the men their medals."

_Everyone_ looked at her in confusion except for the island that the staff belonged to.

Some island people walked onto the stage with two coffins.

_But the island blew up,_ Kayley and Sinbad thought to themselves, _they're bodies **can't** have been found._

The island people opened the coffins – everyone leaned forward in their seats to catch a glimpse of the bodies. Up sat Jim Hawkins and Silver – very much alive.

Jim's crew members couldn't help themselves, they broke out of attention to go swarm around him. The chief let it slide, actually smiling at the reunion between captain and his faithful crew. He jumped out of his coffin only to be engulfed in the crowd of them, all hugging and pestering him. Sarah, Hogarth, Lilo, Stitch and Nani jumped out of their seats to join the crew members. The only ones still standing in attention – until the chief told them to go sit down – were Marina, Rat, Kale, Garrett, Devon and Cornwall.

Silver laughed at them openly, they all crowded around him too once they had their fill of Jim.

Once Sinbad got to Jim, there was nothing stopping him from pulling Jim into a bone-crushing hug. "You nearly gave me a heart attack! I thought you were a goner!" he was nearly in tears.

Jim chuckled and hugged him back, "Gave myself a heart attack, I thought _I was_ going to die."

Sinbad let go in time for Sarah, Hogarth, Lilo and Nani to engulf him in a group hug. Stitch just jumped onto his shoulder and brushed himself against him much like a cat would. Jim laughed.

When they all separated from him, nothing could keep his eyes off of Kayley. She ran to him and jumped into his arms, just as Sarah had run into Sinbad's. They kissed passionately, only too happy to see each other. The crowd went "Awww!" while Hogarth, Lilo, and even Stitch went "Blech!"

The crowd burst into a standing ovation. Jim smiled and beckoned Silver over. He had Kayley's hand, took Sinbad's hand, and raised both their arms – Silver raising his own – to show victory.

Afterwards, the whole crew and Jim's family demanded he and Silver tell them how they survived. Jim's arm was around Kayley as they told it.

"All righ', ye all remember Morph, righ'?" Silver asked. Everyone nodded. Morph showed up, enjoying being the center of attention.

"He'd gone on his own for a while, I hadn't thought about him until he suddenly appeared before us on the island. Another sudden... a _bigger_ Morph appeared behind Morph and suddenly just ate and swallowed us." Jim said.

Silver continued with, "We thought we really _were_ goners then!" Everyone laughed. "But then he transformed into a sort of bomb shelter and at that moment the planet exploded... we were safe inside this bigger Morph!"

"He then morphed into a ship and brought us back here... we got into port about an hour after you did. We had to stop a few times along the way to buy a bunch of food to keep ourselves alive. But when we got here – the chief was surprised but wanted to do this sort of surprise for you all... Morph was _our_ savior on this trip! We convinced her to give him a medal."

Morph giggled and blushed.


End file.
